Jewel thief gets 32 years in prison for Columbia and Charleston robberies

A second thief involved in the 2015 robberies of Sylvan Jewelers in Columbia and MP Demetre Jewelers in Charleston was sentenced to prison on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Beth Drake said in a news release.

Aquabeus Demond Moore, 37, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 32 years plus one day after a jury in April found him 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.

Two armed men entered Sylvan Jewelers, at 1500 Main St., at 11 a.m. on February 19, 2015. 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 robbery 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 August 30, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Jewel thief gets 32 years in prison for Columbia and Charleston robberies."