3 found guilty in jewelry heist spanning the South

Three Georgia men were found guilty of several conspiracy charges in federal court Monday after they were accused of recruiting a 25-year-old woman to rob several jewelry stores — including one in Bluffton.

Abigail Kemp was taken into custody in Georgia in January after she allegedly robbed Jared Jewelers at Tanger Outlet 2 on Sept. 2.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, she forced employees to the back of the store at gunpoint before taking jewelry. No one was harmed during the incident.

Kemp, originally from Cobb County, also allegedly stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry in robberies in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina.

On Monday, jurors took about four hours to convict 36-year-old Lewis Jones III, 44-year-old Larry Gilmore and 47-year-old Michael Gilmore during a federal trial in the Florida Panhandle, according to an Associated Press report.

The three Atlanta men were charged after Kemp told investigators they recruited and trained her to perform the robberies. She also told investigators the three sold more than $4 million in jewels to a buyer in Miami, the report said.

Kemp pleaded guilty to the same charges and faces a life sentence.

She is expected in court Oct. 10 for a hearing.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "3 found guilty in jewelry heist spanning the South."