A Memphis man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for robbing Walmart and Kroger stores in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, according to the Western District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Randy Readus, 36, was sentenced last week for his role in multiple business robberies and conspiracy to commit robberies in the Memphis and surrounding areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Attorney’s Office.
Second Man Sentenced in Series of Armed Robberies and Conspiracy to Commit Additional Robberies of Mid-South Retail Storeshttps://t.co/4BFRc8W0fK
— WDTNNews (@WDTNNews) June 16, 2023
Readus and his accomplice, Julius Black, 32, of Memphis committed multiple business robberies between December 2020 and January 2021 across the three states.
Citing United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz and the information presented in court, the Attorney’s Office reports that Readus drove Black from Memphis to Marion, Arkansas to where Black entered a Walmart store, robbed the Money Center at gunpoint, and then fled with a large amount of cash in a vehicle driven by Readus, who was waiting outside on Christmas Eve in 2020.
After that, according to the Attorney’s Office, the two went on to conduct similar robberies of the following businesses:
- December 26, 2020: Walmart, 512 Industrial Park Drive, Trumann, Arkansas.
- December 31, 2020: Kroger, at 6660 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. Readus drove Black to the Kroger, and Black jumped the customer service desk, forced his way into the finance room, and forcibly stole money.
- January 6, 2021: Walmart, 950 Mackie Drive, Holly Springs, Mississippi.
- January 8, 2021: Kroger, 9025 Highway 64, Memphis, Tennessee.
- January 8, 2021: Kroger, Highway 70, Arlington, Tennessee. The pair attempted to rob the store but got away without any money.
On January 12, 2021, Readus and Black were apprehended by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force while fleeing the scene after robbing a Walmart in New Albany, Mississippi.
Readus was convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, two counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence after a six-day jury trial in February 2023, according to the Attorney’s Office.
Upon completion of his 15-year prison term, Readus was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay restitution of more than $34,000, the Attorney’s Office adds.
Black, meanwhile, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the string of robberies.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Walmart” by Mike Mozart. CC BY 2.0.
