On Thursday, Aug. 11, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Jeramie Lee McSweeney, 39, of Lenoir, N.C., to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, for the 2015 robbery of a jewelry store, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. McSweeney was also ordered to pay $176,400 in restitution.
John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Bill Harrell of the Highlands Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement.
According to documents filed with the court and today’s sentencing hearing, on July 2, 2015, McSweeney and his co-conspirator, Gregory Lee Gobble, robbed the Gold-n-Clipper jewelry store located in Highlands, N.C. Court records show that Gobble entered the jewelry store, broke the glass casing, and stole two pieces of jewelry valued at $176,400.
According to court records, Gobble and McSweeney were seen fleeing the scene in a vehicle driven by McSweeney. Highlands police officers arrested McSweeney later the same day. According to documents filed with the court and Thursday’s sentencing hearing, McSweeney recruited Gobble to assist in the commission of the robbery.
On February 11, 2019, McSweeney pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery. Gobble, who was arrested in South Carolina on August 2016, was previously sentenced to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the FBI and the Highlands Police Department for their investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorney John Pritchard, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, is in charge of the prosecution.
Pictured at the top of the article is the Golden Clipper storefront in Highlands.
Not very long sentence, probably paroled in 2 years.