$763,000 Jewelry Robbery Spree Ends With 15- Year Sentence

#KRITICIZM - A Gainesville man has been sentenced to nearly 15 years in federal prison for a four-month robbery spree that targeted jewelry businesses in Jacksonville and Ocala. Michael Woulard, 50, received a sentence of 14 years and 10 months after pleading guilty to robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Court records show the three robberies occurred between October 2023 and February 2024.

The first robbery occurred at a Value Pawn location in Jacksonville, where approximately $45,945 worth of merchandise was stolen. The following month, Woulard entered a Jacksonville Kay Jewelers, threatened employees with a semi-automatic pistol and escaped with jewelry valued at more than $352,000. Authorities said he later carried out another robbery at a Kay Jewelers in Ocala, taking approximately $364,752 worth of jewelry.

Investigators arrested Woulard on February 21, 2024, one day after the Ocala robbery, and recovered numerous stolen items connected to the case. During a voluntary interview with Jacksonville and Ocala investigators, he admitted his involvement in the jewelry-store robberies. In addition to serving his federal prison sentence, Woulard was ordered to pay $442,582.59 in restitution to the victims.