Demetris Campbell, 29, has been convicted by a federal jury in Indiana following a three-day trial for arranging a scheme of sales online and then robbing the victims, which also included children.
According to court documents and evidence used in the trial, between July 19 and July 28 of 2020, Campbell facilitated at least four armed robberies of victims after luring them to an apartment complex under the false premise that they could purchase items via the online marketplaces LetGo and OfferUp.
In the first robbery, Campbell, using the "Man with a Plan" account, tricked a father and his 15-year-old son into meeting for an iPhone.
When they arrived, Campbell and two accomplices robbed them at gunpoint, stealing cash and the boy's shoes before pistol-whipping the 15-year-old in the face.
During another incident, Campbell used the same account to lure a mother and her two kids to the same location where one of his accomplices, Angel Montano, put a gun against her thigh and stole her iPhones and cash.
Campbell also used the LetGo account "Simone" to trick a woman into coming for an iPhone.
When she arrived, Angel Montano threatened her, saying, "I'll shoot you! Give me the cash!" and stole $560 and her phone.
On the morning of July 29, 2020, Indiana Metropolitan Police officers arrested Campbell after tracing his name and location to the fake usernames used in the robberies.
It was later revealed that Campbell was coordinating the scams with Angel Montano and then selling the stolen phones to split the profit.
In February of 2023, Montano was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Campbell was found guilty of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, four counts of aiding the interference with commerce by robbery, and three counts of aiding the brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
