NORFOLK — A federal jury convicted a man and woman Friday night for their roles in a series of armed commercial robberies, including in Yorktown, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to court records, Norfolk residents Brandon D. Chavis, 36, and Melissa E. Beasley, 43, armed with a firearm, robbed several 7-Elevens, Subway Sandwich Shops, and gas stations between Oct. 1 and Nov. 15 of 2021.
Evidence related to 12 robberies or attempted robberies in the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Yorktown, and Portsmouth was presented.
According to officials, Beasley would drive Chavis in her gray Volvo SUV to each robbery. Chavis wore a black hoodie, black mask, black gloves, dark jeans, brown work boots, and sometimes an orange reflective vest. Chavis entered the stores, brandished a firearm at the clerks, and fled to Beasley waiting in the getaway car.
On one occasion, Beasley cashed a stolen lottery ticket just 33 minutes after Chavis robbed it from a Speedway, officials said. During an interaction with Chavis and Beasley on Nov. 15, 2021, Norfolk Police recovered the firearm Chavis used in the robberies and seized Beasley’s vehicle.
Chavis and Beasley will be sentenced on Sept. 27.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which the Department of Justice describes as the centerpiece of its violent crime reduction efforts.
