ALBANY, GA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Georgia, Middle), published as received.
ALBANY, Ga. – Two defendants indicted for a string of convenience store robberies in Albany, shooting and injuring two clerks, have pleaded guilty for their crimes, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Anthony Parks, 29, and Javarius Mallory, 27, both of Albany, entered guilty pleas today before U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner. Parks pleaded guilty to counts four and ten of his indictment, each charging him with possession and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Parks is facing a minimum ten years in prison to a maximum life sentence for each charge, a fine of $250,000 and a maximum five years’ supervised release. Mallory pleaded guilty to counts six and fourteen of his indictment, each charging him with possession and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Mallory is facing a minimum ten years in prison to a maximum life sentence for each charge, a fine of $250,000 and a maximum five years’ supervised release. At minimum, it is anticipated both defendants will be sentenced to twenty years in prison for their crimes, up to a maximum life term in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. There is no parole in the federal system.
The pair were involved in a violent robbery spree across Albany during 2016, the defendants admitting guilt in a total of four of the seven robberies charged in the indictment. Parks and Mallory, armed and masked, robbed the Neighborhood Grocery on West Gordon Avenue close to midnight on September 6, 2016 (count four). During the course of the robbery, Parks fired three shots into a locked office door, stealing a total of $8,702. A little more than two weeks later, on September 23, 2016, Mallory admitted he held up the same Neighborhood Grocery Store on West Gordon Avenue, armed with a loaded 9mm pistol (count six). Every time Mallory demanded more money from the store clerk, he would discharge his weapon into the ceiling. Five spent 9mm shell casings were found inside the store, and Mallory ran off with $3,923. The defendants held up the BP store on Dawson Road in the early morning hours of October 6, 2016 with two clerks inside (count ten). One clerk, who got on the floor when the pair walked in, armed and masked, was shot by Parks in the buttocks. The other clerk chased the defendants after they ran off on foot with cash stolen from the store, and fired his own gun at them, shattering the back windshield of a customer’s vehicle. Both Parks and Mallory, armed with handguns and wearing ski masks to cover their faces, robbed the Dawson Food Mart on Dawson Road on November 3, 2016 (court fourteen). $8916.13 was stolen from the store, plus $400 from the clerk. Mallory shot the clerk in his leg.
“The citizens in the Middle District of Georgia deserve to live in safe neighborhoods, and our office will not stop prosecuting violent crime until all violent criminals, like these two individuals, are brought to justice,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney. “We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners at the local and state level to ensure violent criminals are captured and put behind bars. I want to thank the FBI and the Albany Police Department for their excellent work in this investigation which removed two more violent criminals from the streets.”
“The victims of these violent offenders feared for their lives and will never recover emotionally from the terror they faced,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “To those victims, including two injured by gun shots, no sentence will justify what they went through. Hopefully they will take some solace in knowing no one else will have to go through what they did while these defendants are in prison.”
"This is another example of the collaborations with our state and federal partners in the effort to keep our community safe. I am thankful for the men and women of the Albany Police Department who worked tirelessly in bringing these subjects to justice. Special thanks to U.S. Attorney Peeler and his office for prosecuting this case and helping send the message that crime is not beneficial,” said Chief Michael Persley, Albany Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/archives/projectguardian.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Albany Police Department. U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Dasher are prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
