Jefferson City man pleads guilty in federal court for home robberies in Columbia

A Jefferson City man has pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to stealing from homes in Columbia and then selling the stolen items, according to a press release.

27-year-old Henry Anthony Williams, also known as “Foolish,” of Jefferson City admitted that he had firearms that had been stolen during a home robbery in Columbia. OnSept. 17, 2014, Moberly police officers received a report from a local gun store that someone was trying to sell one of the stolen firearms to the store’s owner. Eventually the gun was traced back to Williams.

Williams said that he was part of a conspiracy to rob homes in the Columbia area, primarily targeting college housing and electronic equipment. Williams and others sold the stolen merchandise to a coconspirator, who sold the items on eBay.

Williams also admitted that he committed at least one of the three home robberies that occurred on Nov. 17, 2015, among residences on Commercial Drive in Columbia.