2 Gang Members Sentenced To 12 Years For $500K Watch Robbery At Il Pastaio In Beverly Hills
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Two gang members were each sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for a shooting and armed robbery of a customer eating at a Beverly Hills restaurant for his $500,000 wristwatch.
Malik Lamont Powell, 21, and 18-year-old Khai McGhee, who was also known as Cameron Smith, were both sentenced Monday to 144 months in federal prison in connection with the brazen daytime robbery at Il Pastaio restaurant. Both men, along with a third, had pleaded guilty in September to charges in connection with violent heist.
In sentencing the two men, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter called the crime "outrageous and unacceptable."
"These types of robberies, which are becoming more and more prevalent in our community, have to stop," the judge said in a statement.
According to federal prosecutors, Powell, McGhee, and the third man – 41-year-old Marquise Anthony Gardon – drove to Beverly Hills on March 4, 2021 and scouted the area for potential victims. They targeted a man sitting in the outdoor patio of Il Pastaio who was wearing a Richard Mille wristwatch, and held a gun to his head, prosecutors said.
At least two shots were fired during a struggle for the gun, and one of the rounds hit another diner in the leg. The gun was left at the scene, but the men fled with the watch, which was worth approximately $500,000, according to prosecutors.
Powell and McGhee each pleaded guilty to felony counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, and using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Gardon, who pleaded guilty to two of those charges, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28.