RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Two convicted felons who robbed a pair of Perris residents during a sales transaction involving products advertised via the internet pleaded guilty Tuesday to armed robbery, and each was immediately sentenced to 10 years, four months in state prison.
Diamond Franklin Crummie, 30, of Moreno Valley and Airron Deprese Willis, 28, of Riverside each admitted the robbery count and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm under separate plea agreements with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors dropped two related charges in exchange for the men’s admissions.
The deals were reached at the outset of a preliminary hearing before Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The judge certified the terms of the bargains and imposed the sentences stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. John Burke, the defendants made contact with the two victims, whose identities were not disclosed, via social media in response to an online classified advertisement for unspecified products.
Arrangements were made for the men to meet the sellers on Spectacular Bid Street in Perris shortly before noon on July 7, 2021, Burke said.
“When the parties arrived, the two suspects robbed the victims at gunpoint,” he said.
No one was injured.
Crummie and Willis took the victims’ sales items and other property, then fled, according to the sergeant.
He said detectives quickly identified Crummie as one of the perpetrators, and he was taken into custody without incident two days later in Moreno Valley.
Willis was identified as the second holdup man and was tracked on July 13, 2021, to a residence on Indiana Avenue in Riverside, where he was taken into custody without a struggle.
According to court records, Crummie has prior convictions for burglary and vandalism, while Willis has several felony convictions in another jurisdiction that weren’t listed in documents.