One of two men charged with breaking into vehicles at golf courses and fitness centers across the metro area to steal credit and debit cards has been sentenced.
Marquail T. Townsend, 23, of St. Paul, was sentenced Thursday in Washington County District Court to a three-year term. With credit for time served since his arrest, Townsend will serve roughly 1¾ years in prison with the balance on supervised release. His sentence also calls for him to make restitution of $1,000 to each of 14 victims.
The sentence in December for accomplice Damien A. McVay, 27, of Minneapolis, was a year in jail or work release. McVay received credit for 78 days served upon his arrest. He will be on probation for 20 years and is on the hook for thousands of dollars in restitution.
From Feb. 10, 2016, until June 9, at least 22 people in a dozen suburbs were victimized in suburbs — from Edina to Roseville and from St. Michael to Woodbury. The two men also slipped over the border and swiped items from a vehicle in Hudson, Wis. They often used a tool known as a "window punch" to swiftly enter vehicles.
The two went on shopping sprees with the stolen cards, buying electronics, gasoline, large quantities of cigarettes and other items.
After authorities attached a GPS device to a suspect's car, the spree came to an end.
They were charged in Washington County because they targeted a Life Time Fitness parking lot in Woodbury several times.
