Two men from the St. Louis area have been sentenced for their roles in the armed robbery of a mobile barber in Jennings in 2023.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Keshaun Smith, 20, of Jennings, to 98 months in prison on charges of robbery and brandishing a firearm during the crime. Andrew Giles, Smith’s co-defendant, received a sentence of 105 months in prison on September 19 for the same offenses.
Court documents state that on May 8, 2023, a mobile barber went to a residence on Garesche Avenue to cut Smith’s hair. Smith met the barber outside as he arrived in his red car. About 15 minutes later, while the haircut was underway inside the home, Giles arrived at the scene carrying what appeared to be a pistol.
After roughly 90 minutes, as the haircut ended, Giles and another co-defendant entered the room where Smith and the victim were located. Smith picked up a firearm belonging to the victim, and together with Giles and the third person, robbed the barber of his possessions. During this incident, the victim was struck across his face and forehead area and suffered a frontal skull fracture. The victim managed to escape and called police.
Smith was later seen walking on Garesche Avenue openly carrying what is believed to be the stolen firearm.
The investigation was led by the St. Louis County Police Department with help from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri handled prosecution.
"This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in St. Louis," according to officials involved in prosecuting these cases. "The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute violent offenders and prevent further violence."
