KC Man Pleads Guilty to Jimmy John's Robbery, Carjacking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the armed robbery of a Jimmy John’s restaurant and a carjacking.

Terry K. Rayford, 54, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of armed robbery, one count of carjacking and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charges stem from two incidents that occurred on April 26, 2017. Rayford brandished a Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun when he robbed the Jimmy John’s restaurant, located at 3900 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Rayford was armed with a Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Jimenez 9mm semi-automatic handgun when he carjacked a 1998 Ford Econoline E350 van earlier the same day.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Rayford has 13 felony convictions for robbery and he was on parole at the time of the thefts.

Both of the firearms were found in Rayford’s vehicle after he was stopped by Independence, Mo., police officers on April 27, 2017. Officers received information about a person matching the description of the suspect in the Jimmy John’s restaurant the day before. A retired major with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department had seen video of the robbery broadcast on the news and saw Rayford – who appeared to be the robbery suspect – driving in the area of 40 Highway and Crysler in Independence.

Independence police officers responded to the area and stopped Rayford’s vehicle. When they ordered him to get out of his vehicle, officers found the Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun lying on the driver’s side floorboard. Rayford was arrested and his vehicle towed. During an inventory of the vehicle, the Jimenez 9mm semi-automatic handgun was found in the back pouch of the front passenger seat.

Rayford told investigators he had stolen both of the handguns from his source for crack cocaine, to whom he owed money. Rayford told investigators he violated the conditions of his parole so he could go back to prison and do the remaining time of his sentence because his parole conditions were hard to follow.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Rayford will be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in federal prison without parole, up to a maximum of 30 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.