In the March assault of a well-known Montgomery businessman who was robbed, assaulted, and bound during a holdup at his dry cleaning company, a 58-year-old man entered a guilty plea.
Zedekiah Sykes faced federal charges of carjacking, armed robbery, and brandishing a pistol in connection with a federal crime of violence.
Additionally, agents thought Sykes was residing in the Buick after spotting bottles in the car that looked to be filled with pee.
He pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery on Friday, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson of the Middle District of Alabama.
Sykes may spend up to 20 years behind bars. The date of his sentencing is still pending.
Two males were charged in the incident, including Sykes, who was first taken into custody in March.
Spencer Dragon Thomas, a 57-year-old Prattville man who was arrested on May 27 in Las Vegas, was announced as having been arrested by authorities in June.
According to the authorities, Sykes was the mastermind behind the heist and had been planning it for months.
Massey’s adventure started on Monday, March 10 at 6:10 p.m. when he was inside his place of business and noticed a disturbance coming from the door.
Massey went to look into it and was met by four men wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests, all of whom were dressed as construction workers.
According to the federal complaint, the attackers seized Massey and dragged him inside an office where his locked safe was kept. Massey informed them that he would require his phone because he couldn’t recall the combination.
Massey was struck in the eye by one of the men. Another person went to get Massey’s phone.
According to the docs, Massey accessed the safe and took between $6,000 and $8,000 in cash.
Following the collection of the money, the guys led Massey back into an office where they used zip ties to bind his hands and feet, tore the company’s phones from their connections, and took Massey’s car keys and mobile phone.
All four departed in Massey’s car.
All four offenders were later caught on home security cameras close to Montgomery’s Noble Avenue.
As they were shown walking in the video, one of them instructed the others to remove their jackets, and they complied.
Montgomery police, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the FBI, and the Metro Area Crime Suppression Task Force promptly began an investigation.
The criminal complaint claims that two men visited Massey’s place of work on March 19 and informed him of what had transpired.
They told him they needed the money so they could leave town after telling him the truth.
When investigators arrived at the company, those two individuals informed them that Sykes was the mastermind behind the heist and had been plotting it for months.
They further claimed that Sykes had enlisted them to assist him in committing the crime. According to the complaint, they were patted down to ensure they had no recording devices when they met Sykes at a prearranged spot.
After learning that Jim Massey’s Cleaners would be their target, they got into a car and drove past it.
Additionally, Sykes took them to Massey’s house and promised to pick him up there if they couldn’t find him at the company.
The witnesses informed detectives that the attackers intended to wear all-black clothing.
They claimed that since it would be daylight outdoors throughout the offense, Sykes then altered that to construction gear as if they were working with Alabama Power Company.
According to those two witnesses, they withdrew.
According to an investigator, they felt compelled to tell the victim what had transpired after seeing the TV report about the heist.
Additionally, a confidential source came forward and named Sykes as the offender.
Then, on March 21, while Sykes was at the Wind Creek Casino, the Metro Area Crime Suppression Task Force started monitoring him.
After that, Sykes was pursued back to Montgomery, where he continued to be watched and investigated.
Sykes’ credit card was used to purchase safety vests and hard hats that resembled those worn by the perpetrators in the Massey holdup, authorities discovered.
Investigators were still keeping an eye on Sykes when they noticed him opening the trunk of his Buick and a big duffle bag that looked like the one used in the robbery.
Additionally, agents thought Sykes was residing in the Buick after spotting bottles in the car that looked to be filled with pee.
Stories by
Carol Robinson
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