Crime

Florida Man Gets 15 Years in Trio of Jewelry Store Robberies

CrimeAug 03, 2026

Florida Man Gets 15 Years in Trio of Jewelry Store Robberies

The 50-year-old man pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbing two jewelry stores and a pawn shop of more than $700,000 in merchandise.

Stock image of a gavel and books
In March, 50-year-old Michael Deon Woulard of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty to robbing Kay Jewelers stores in Ocala and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as a pawn shop in Jacksonville. He was sentenced to nearly 15 years in federal prison late last week.
Gainesville, Fla.—A federal judge in Florida sentenced a 50-year-old man from Gainesville to nearly 15 years in prison after he confessed to robbing three jewelry stores.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, Florida, Michael Deon Woulard pleaded guilty to robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime in March.

He was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months behind bars on Friday, the minimum he could have received for his crimes. He also was ordered to pay $442,583 in restitution. 

According to court documents and proceedings in the case, between October 2023 and February 2024, Woulard robbed two Kay Jewelers stores and a Value Pawn shop, netting about $760,000.  

Prosecutors said he robbed the Value Pawn in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2023, stealing $45,945 in goods. 

On Nov. 25, Woulard robbed a Kay Jewelers store in Jacksonville, pointing a semi-automatic pistol at employees and stealing $352,624 in jewelry. 

 Related stories will be right here … 

He robbed another Kay Jewelers store in early 2024, this one in Ocala, Florida, again pulling out a gun and making off with about $364,753 in jewelry. 

Police arrested Woulard on Feb. 21, 2024. 

He was in possession of numerous pieces of jewelry stolen during the third robbery and admitted to committing the jewelry store robberies in a voluntary interview, prosecutors said. 

Woulard had a co-defendant in the case, Erica Jordan Patrick. 

She pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting the November 2025 robbery. 

According to prosecutors, she cased the store prior to the robbery and identified pieces and showcases for Woulard to target. 

Court records show that Patrick, who provided information that led to Woulard’s arrest and the recovery of the guns used in the robberies, entered her plea Wednesday. 

She received five years of probation. 

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