Kriti Mehrotra
It was in 2015 when several states across the nation found themselves on high alert as a group of robbers targeted local jewelry stores to walk away with millions and millions of dollars. However, as chronicled in ID’s ‘FEDS: The Diamond Diva,’ everything turned around once the authorities identified Abigail Lee Kemp as one of the perpetrators since she fully cooperated. This eventually led to the arrest of not only alleged mastermind Larry Bernard Gilmore, but also their co-conspirators Lewis Jones III and Larry’s brother, Michael Bernard Gilmore.
Abigail Kemp and Larry Gilmore Met by Chance in 2015
Although born in Smyrna, Georgia, in 1991, Abigail Lee Kemp was based out of Atlanta by the time she was 23, as she aspired to pursue a career in entertainment as a full-time model. She always had big dreams, but the reality was that she soon found herself working as a server to make ends meet. It’s what she was doing when she was recruited to be a robber, too. According to reports, she first came across Larry Gilmore, his brother Michael Gilmore, and Lewis Jones while she was at work at a restaurant, only for them to show an interest in her. The trio was reportedly quick to offer Abigail a place in their scheme to rob jewelry stores across the southern part of the country to earn easy money, yet she initially morally refused.
However, shortly thereafter, she gave in because the idea of getting to walk away with loads of funds in one go without worrying about overworking was too good for her to pass up. That’s when they began finetuning their plans together at the Gilmore brothers’ window tint shop in Atlanta, where the woman was trained on how to use codes, handguns, zipties, etc. As per records, Larry, Michael, and Lewis also gave Abigail instructions on the kind of clothes she should wear as well as what merchandise she should grab so as to be the most lucrative. The first of many robberies targeted the Jared Vault Jewelry Store in Woodstock, Georgia, in April 2015. It was after this that the 23-year-old started being given dirty work at the scene and beyond. While the three men primarily either carried out the thefts or served as lookouts after casing the joint, she was often given the responsibility of holding hostages.
Abigail Kemp Was Arrested For Her Actions in Early 2016
When Abigail, Larry, Michael, and Lewis realized that they had found a pattern that worked for them, they decided to spread their wings and hit several more jewelry stores in the south. In fact, between April 2015 and January 2016, they robbed a total of 6 establishments for over $4 million. Apart from Jared Vault in Woodstock, they hit a shop each in Panama City Beach in Florida, Dawsonville in Georgia, Bluffton in South Carolina, Sevierville in Tennessee, and Mebane in North Carolina. It was only around December 2015 when their scheme hit a snag as a store manager suspected Abigail to be linked with the robberies based on her physical appearance.
This manager was actually quick to act, as they instructed an employee to contact the police, leaving the quartet no choice but to abort their mission and flee the scene upon hearing the sirens. Less than 5 days later, though, Abigail, Larry, Michael, and Lewis pulled off their 6th successful heist in Mebane, North Carolina, unaware that the federal officials were already on their tail. According to records, from the clues left behind at the scenes as well as the surveillance footage, they were able to ascertain that the woman in the group was none other than the former server.
Abigail was arrested with a warrant at her apartment on January 8, 2016, and since Lewis was with her at the time, the FBI was also able to bring him into custody for further questioning. The former, who had once previously been arrested for battery in 2011, was actually identified as one of the robbers through her social media accounts – they linked her to the getaway vehicle. Then, she was further incriminated by the black and silver handgun recovered from inside her home because they were eerily similar in appearance to the weapon used throughout the six massive robberies.
While Abigail Cooperated For a Lenient Sentence, Larry Remains Incarcerated
Soon after Abigail Kemp was arrested for her reported hand in the robberies, she agreed to turn against all her co-conspirators in the hopes of ultimately securing a deal or a lenient sentence. She was the one who gave the FBI every piece of information they needed to connect the dots, resulting in the arrest of both the Gilmore brothers on charges of robbery, too. In the end, while Abigail pleaded guilty to conspiracy, interfering with commerce by robbery, and using a firearm during a crime of violence, Larry was convicted of the same counts in July 2016 following a trial. Larry’s brother, Michael, and Lewis were also convicted of conspiracy, interfering with commerce by robbery, as well as using a firearm during a crime of violence, at the same time as Larry.
Therefore, on January 13, 2017, 25-year-old Abigail was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison owing to her cooperation, whereas 43-year-old Larry was handed down 32 years. They were also ordered to pay restitution worth $1,499,690. While the young woman expressed remorse during her sentencing hearing, the once businessman and married father maintained his innocence. Today, at the age of 33/34, Abigail is a free woman in the state of Georgia, where she seemingly prefers to stay away from the limelight. She was released from the low-security Federal Correctional Institution-Tallahassee on July 15, 2024. Coming to Larry, the 52-year-old remains incarcerated at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution-Memphis, where he is expected to remain until his scheduled release date of November 10, 2030.
