MINNEAPOLIS — It was a punch that brought to public light an ongoing, and often violent, scheme in downtown Minneapolis.
Kevron Williams Gray and his friends tricked a young man into handing over his cell phone outside the Gay 90s bar late one night in July under the guise that they were adding their rap group to the victim's social media.
When the victim, Jackson Nadeau tried to get his phone back, another assailant punched him in the face, knocking Nadeau unconscious.
The 24-year-old victim suffered a broken jaw and reported 20 fraudulent transactions, totaling $1,700 on the accounts accessible on his phone.
On Tuesday, 19-year-old Williams Gray received a 171-month prison sentence for his role in the scheme. He admitted to stealing a phone from at least one other victim that same night.
Minneapolis police have reported more than 100 victims of similar crimes in the last 12 months in downtown Minneapolis. The suspects often trick victims outside bars to willingly hand over their phones by using false pretenses, as they did to Nadeau, and too often, the incidents involve violence.
"People should be able to come to downtown and social gatherings without being afraid of being injured or robbed," said Judge Shereen Askalani as she handed down Williams Gray's sentence.
Judge Askalani, as well as prosecutor Megan Hennesy, noted Williams Gray's apparent lack of remorse.
"I don't know if you fully appreciate the seriousness of your actions," Judge Askalani told him.
Contacted by KARE 11 News after the hearing, Nadeau sent a statement.
"I would like to thank my victim advocate, the state prosecutors, and the Minneapolis Police Department for all of their hard work in my case. I hope that my case has a positive impact on our community moving forward. Criminals need to be held accountable for their actions so that people can feel safe again. I would also like to ask that the Minnesota Freedom Fund stops releasing violent criminals into the community, where they continue to victimize others," Nadeau wrote.
The man accused of throwing the punch that knocked out Nadeau, Jamarcus Tucker, was bailed out by the Freedom Fund in an unrelated case in 2020. Tucker indicated in court records that he intends to take his case involving Nadeau to trial.
Twelve others are charged with racketeering for running the same scheme outside Minneapolis bars.
They're accused of draining accounts on stolen phones through apps like Cash App, Venmo, and Zelle, then selling the phones to a Chinese national named Brandon Su — nicknamed the "iPhone man" — who court papers say has shipped $806,000 worth of cell phones overseas from a Minneapolis restaurant he owns.
Su is due back in court for his case Wednesday.
Minneapolis Police said they made three more arrests Tuesday just before 4 p.m.
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