ATLANTA — The alleged female jewel thief behind a string of robberies across the South is facing new charges — and new details reveal she was trained by 2 brothers to rob the stores.
24-year-old Abigail Kemp is now charged with robbery and using a gun while committing a crime in the federal district in South Carolina.
In the new charges she is accused of pulling out a gun, zip-tying employees and stealing almost $1 million dollars in jewels during a Sept. 2 incident at the Jared’s Vault in Bluffton, SC.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Journal Constitutionreported that Kemp was trained how to carry out the robberies solo by her boyfriend Lewis Jones III, 35,and two others, Michael and Larry Gilmore, 46 and 43 years old, respectively, an FBI affidavit seen by newspaper says.
Kemp trained for the robberies at Buckhead Window Tinting and layouts of various targeted jewelry stores were used during the drills, the newspaper reported.
At times, Jones acted as a lookout and kept in touch with Kemp while she had a cell phone ear piece on during the various robberies, officials said.
There are now three states that have filed charges against Kemp after she was accused of robbing 6 stores in 5 different states, including one in Mebane, NC.
She was already facing similar charges in Georgia and Florida.
U.S. Attorneys have said she could also end up facing charges in North Carolina and Tennessee.— NBC News contributed to this report