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A Ghanaian man, Kujo Duako, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in a string of armed robberies across the US state of Atlanta, alongside his co-defendant, Sammetrius Brooks.
The duo’s crime spree spanned two days in October 2018, terrorizing employees and stealing cash and property from several businesses.
Duako, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday to 16 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. His accomplice, 33-year-old Brooks, had already been sentenced to nearly 12 years behind bars, also with three years of supervised release.
The crimes began on October 29, 2018, with a failed robbery at a CVS store in South Fulton. Duako pointed a semi-automatic handgun at an employee, but the robbery was thwarted when the clerk set off a fire alarm. Later that day, Duako successfully robbed a Dollar General store in the same city, taking cash and personal property.
The following day, Brooks joined Duako as the getaway driver as they robbed five more businesses across South Fulton, Riverdale, College Park, and Fairburn, including a restaurant and a bank. Less than two hours after the bank robbery, law enforcement officers apprehended Duako, recovering over $9,000 in cash and stolen cellphones from his possession.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating, “Duako and Brooks terrorized innocent victims and jeopardized their lives during this violent crime spree.”
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence, with coordination from the FBI and several local law enforcement agencies.
SOURCE: capitolbeat.org