Duo plead guilty to armed robberies in Forsyth and Randolph Counties

GREENSBORO – Two Anson County residents pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robberies and firearms charges, announced Sandra J. Hairston, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

BRANDON DRELLE WALL, age 35, of Wadesboro, North Carolina, and WILLIAM CHAVIS DUNLAP, JR., age 29, of Morven, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to robbing a sweepstakes business in Winston-Salem in June 2022, and another in Liberty in August 2022. The defendants also pleaded guilty to one count each of brandishing a firearm in connection with the robbery in Liberty.

According to court documents, WALL and DUNLAP wore masks and threatened employees with guns in an effort to gain access to business safes. During the robbery in Liberty, the defendants also forced patrons to the floor at gunpoint. WALL and DUNLAP took a phone, wallet, $1400, and two guns in the Winston-Salem robbery. A total of $8,650 was stolen during the Liberty robbery. After his arrest, WALL admitted he also robbed a gas station in Richmond County, and DUNLAP admitted to robbing a discount store in Anson County.

DUNLAP pleaded guilty yesterday and his sentencing is scheduled to take place on October 31, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. WALL pleaded today and his sentencing is scheduled to take place on October 31, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Both sentencing hearings will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina, before United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr.

At sentencing, each of the defendants faces a sentence of not less than seven years to life in prison, a period of supervised release of up to five years, fines, and other monetary penalties. In addition, WALL and DUNLAP agreed to forfeit their interests in seven firearms plus multiple magazines and rounds of ammunition.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case is being investigated by the Liberty Police Department, Winston Salem Police Department, Anson County Sheriff's Office, Richmond County Sheriff's Office, Wadesboro Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Ann Courtney.

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