Woman sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbing two Tulsa convenience stores

A woman was sentenced Thursday in federal court for robbing two Tulsa QuikTrips at gunpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan sentenced Taylor Elise Vaught-Crysler, 19, of Tulsa, to 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Vaught-Crysler previously pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing, delaying, and affecting commerce by robbery and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“Taylor Vaught-Crysler put lives in danger and terrorized QuikTrip employees when she pointed a gun during two robberies. I’m thankful no one was harmed,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “As evidenced by today’s 10-year prison sentence, criminals who brandish firearms can expect federal prosecutors to be unrelenting in our pursuit for justice.”

On Jan. 15, 2021, Vaught-Crysler robbed a QuikTrip on Utica Avenue at 3:50 am. During the robbery, she pointed a gun at store employees and demanded money from the register and tobacco products. The employees complied. Vaught-Crysler left and arrived at a second QuikTrip on Peoria Avenue at 4:20 am, where she again pointed a firearm at the clerk and demanded money from the register. The clerk complied. She then demanded more money, so she was handed several rolls of Oklahoma lottery tickets.

In both robberies, Vaught-Cysler left in a black Jeep Cherokee Latitude. The store clerk from the second location, saw the numbers 906 on the vehicle’s tag as it drove away.

Later that day, between 11:29 am and 12:03 pm, the defendant traveled to three additional QuikTrip locations and cashed out a total of 16 of the lottery tickets. At each location the defendant arrived and left in a black Cherokee Latitude that matched the vehicle seen in the robberies. The vehicle’s tag also matched the numbers the clerk reported seeing in the second robbery.

During the investigation, agents learned that Vaught-Crysler obtained the firearm from codefendant Zachary Wayne Crew, 21, of Tulsa, and that she agreed to give him a portion of the proceeds from the robberies. They also learned that Crew acted as the get-away driver, using Vaught-Crysler’s vehicle.

Crew pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing, delaying, and affecting commerce by robbery and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 118 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar prosecuted the case