Nine Oakland Ghost Town gang members receive nearly 60 years total for 2022 armed robbery conspiracy

Federal court hands down combined 709-month sentence

Nine members of an Oakland-based street gang known as the Ghost Town gang have been sentenced to a combined 709 months—nearly 60 years—in federal prison for a robbery conspiracy that targeted businesses across the Bay Area in 2022. The sentencings were imposed in San Francisco by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín.

All nine defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, a federal charge commonly used in cases involving coordinated robberies of commercial businesses. Eight of the nine also admitted to additional robbery counts tied to specific incidents described in court filings.

Robberies described as planned, coordinated and armed

Case records describe a pattern of advance planning, defined roles among participants, and the use of firearms. Prosecutors detailed tactics that included scouting locations, arranging transportation, and using stolen license plates on getaway vehicles.

• March 18, 2022: A coin and stamp store in San Francisco’s South of Market area was robbed. Victims included the store owner and his son. The son was zip-tied and assaulted, and property taken in the robbery was valued at more than $300,000.
• Nov. 12, 2022: A jewelry store in San Pablo was robbed after some participants posed as customers to assess the location. At least three robbers were armed while others waited in getaway vehicles. Bags of jewelry were taken.
• Dec. 24, 2022: An Oakland marijuana business was robbed. An employee was forced back inside at gunpoint, assaulted with a firearm, and robbed of cannabis-related items and a debit card. Court filings state that Keanna Smith-Stewart later used the stolen card to make purchases at retail stores in San Francisco.

Sentencing range and restitution order

The individual prison terms ranged from 50 months to 114 months. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $150,338 in restitution, reflecting losses tied to the charged conduct and the financial harm documented for sentencing purposes.

Investigation and prosecution

The investigation was led by the FBI alongside the Oakland Police Department. The case was prosecuted by federal prosecutors assigned to a violent crime-focused team within the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The case reflects how federal authorities can aggregate multiple incidents under a single conspiracy theory when robberies involve coordinated groups, business targets, and conduct that affects commerce.

The sentencings close a major phase of the case, which centered on a series of armed robberies carried out over roughly nine months in 2022, spanning San Francisco, Contra Costa County, and Oakland.