Man found guilty of robbing Sylvan’s Jewelers, Charleston store of watches

A Georgia man has been convicted of robbing a downtown Columbia jewelry store and another one in Charleston.

A federal jury found Aquabeus Demond Moore, 37, of Atlanta guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, two counts of robbery affecting interstate commerce and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Beth Drake.

Moore faces up to 25 years in prison each for the conspiracy and robbery counts. He also could face a mandatory consecutive seven years plus 25 years for each of the gun charges.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutors and witnesses said Moore was in Atlanta and traveled to Columbia to rob Sylvan’s Jewelers and to Charleston to rob Demetre Jewelers.

Two armed men entered Sylvan’s, at 1500 Main St., at 11 a.m. Feb. 19, 2015. The store was robbed of watches, including Rolexes. While one of the men took expensive watches from a display case, the other threatened store employees with a gun. No one was hurt in the robbery.

Sidewalk cameras captured the image of two men with hoods pulled over their heads parking a dark-colored, older model, four-door Oldsmobile with tinted windows in front of the store before the robbery. The car was noticeable because it was double parked on a busy Main Street.

Demetre Jewelers, on King Street in Charleston, was robbed of $700,000 worth of merchandise several days later, on March 4, 2015. Witnesses described a heist similar to the one in Columbia.

A federal jury previously convicted Charles Johnson, one of Moore’s co-conspirators, of the same charges. He was sentenced to 32 years and one day in prison on April 10.

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Man found guilty of robbing Sylvan’s Jewelers, Charleston store of watches."