GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WNCN) — A Goldsboro man was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Friday for robbing victims through fraudulent online car advertisements, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Between August and September 2019, prosecutors say Daekwon Sample, 25, also known as “Kwon”, used fake ads on the online application OfferUp to bring victims to a location where they were robbed and assaulted.

“This robber and his accomplices used fake online car ads to lure victims to a location where they robbed the victims at gunpoint, even firing shots at one victim who had his minor child with him while another victim and minor child were threatened at gunpoint in the car,” said. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The members of this robbery crew have hitched a ride to a lengthy stay in federal prison. But this case is a reminder for consumers to be cautious when arranging meetings to retrieve goods purchased online.”

According to court documents, officers with the Goldsboro Police Department responded to a report of an assault and robbery in Aug. 2019. Police said a couple contacted an unknown subject through OfferUp at a Mimosa Street residence in Goldsboro with the intention of buying a vehicle.

The couple arrived at the location with their two children. Sample and co-defendant, Jaquan Melvin, robbed the victims at gunpoint of more than $1,300. Shots were fired at the feet of one of the victims before fleeing the scene.

Police said one month later near the same residence, a pizza delivery driver was assaulted and robbed by Sample and Isaiah Kornegay.

That same evening of the pizza robbery at the Mimosa Street residence, the robbery duo struck again during a similar, fake transaction through OfferUp assaulting the interested buyer. The victim told police that Kornegay brandished a firearm as the victim fled from the assault.

On Sept. 11, 2019, undercover officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives posed as buyers of a vehicle posted from the OfferUp account used in the previous robberies. The seller directed the agents to meet at the Mimosa Street residence.

When agents arrived at the residence, the immediately arrested Sample. Officers said Kornegay fled but was found and arrested the same night. Melvin fled the scene and was found and arrested the next month. Further investigation revealed that Kornegay created the OfferUp account used in the robberies.

Kornegay pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than eight years in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay financial restitution. Melvin also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay financial restitution.

In addition to Sample’s 15 years in prison, he will serve five years of supervised release and will pay more than $1,500 in financial restitution.