Woman admits to stealing $4 million in jewelry — including some from Bluffton

A Georgia woman accused of stealing jewelry worth millions in Bluffton, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina pleaded guilty to charges arising from the heists Wednesday in Panama City Federal Court.

Abigail Kemp, 25, waived her right to trial in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina when she accepted a plea deal for the string of robberies that spanned a 10-month period, according to an Associated Press report.

One of the robberies included Jared Jewelers at Tanger Outlet 2 on Sept. 2, 2015, when Kemp allegedly forced employees to the back of the store at gunpoint before taking jewelry. No one was harmed during the incident.

Kemp already pleaded guilty to conspiring with three Atlanta men in the robbery of a Panama Beach, Fla., jewelry store, the report said.

Lewis Jones III, 26, Larry Gilmore, 44 and Michael Gilmore, 47, were found guilty in July of several conspiracy charges in federal court 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.

Kemp’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13.

She faces up to 20 years for each of the six counts of interfering with commerce and could face a life sentence for brandishing a firearm during store robberies, the report said.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Woman admits to stealing $4 million in jewelry — including some from Bluffton."