Duo Sentenced for Armed Robberies in Forsyth and Randolph Counties (DOJ)

GREENSBORO - Two Anson County residents who pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robberies and firearms charges have been sentenced, announced Sandra J. Hairston, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

In August 2024, BRANDON DRELLE WALL, age 35, of Wadesboro, North Carolina, and WILLIAM CHAVIS DUNLAP, JR., age 29, of Morven, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to robbing a sweepstakes business in Winston-Salem in June 2022, and another in Liberty in August 2022. Each defendant also pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

WALL was sentenced on October 30, 2024, to consecutive terms of 138 months imprisonment and 84 months imprisonment, plus 5 years supervised release.

DUNLAP was sentenced today to consecutive terms of 110 months imprisonment and 84 months imprisonment, plus 5 years supervised release.

Both sentencing hearings were held in Greensboro, North Carolina, before United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. In addition to prison time, WALL and DUNLAP were ordered to pay restitution and forfeited their interests in seven firearms plus multiple magazines and rounds of ammunition.

According to court documents, WALL and DUNLAP wore masks and threatened employees with guns in an effort to gain access to business safes. During the robbery in Liberty, the defendants also forced patrons to the floor at gunpoint. WALL and DUNLAP took a phone, wallet, $1,400, and two guns in the Winston-Salem robbery. A total of $8,650 was stolen during the Liberty robbery. After his arrest, WALL admitted he also robbed a gas station in Richmond County, and DUNLAP admitted to robbing a discount store in Anson County.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the Liberty Police Department, Winston-Salem Police Department, Anson County Sheriff's Office, Richmond County Sheriff's Office, Wadesboro Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Ann Courtney.

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