Queens Man Gets 25 Years to Life in Oakland Gardens Robbery

A 44-year-old Queens man who worked as an ambulette driver has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for robbing an Oakland Gardens nail salon in December 2009, the Queens district attorney said.

Kevin Cheeks, of 115-36 125 St. in South Ozone Park, was convicted last month on three counts of robbery following a seven-day jury trial, Queens DA Richard Brown said.

On Wednesday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak sentenced Cheeks to 25 years to life in prison as a persistent violent felon, the DA said.

“With today’s sentence, the public can rest assured that the defendant, a persistent felony offender, will spend a lengthy time behind bars and no longer be a threat to society,” Brown said.

On Dec. 12, 2009, Cheeks entered the Shinki Nail Salon, located at 212-08 Union Turnpike in Oakland Gardens, around 1 p.m. and told its three employees and four customers that he had a gun.

The defendant then forced all seven people to the rear of the store and told one customer who was holding a cell phone that he would kill her if she attempted to place a call, the DA said.

He removed valuables from the customers and employees as well as the money from the salon’s cash register.

As he was about to leave the scene, Cheeks realized he could not find his cell phone and ran back to the rear of the salon to search for it, the DA said. One of the store’s employees ran outside and into a nearby diner, where she told people that the salon was being robbed.

At this time, Cheeks walked past the front of the diner and the salon employee identified him, Brown said. Several people inside the diner saw the defendant get into an ambulette marked ‘Sigma Ambulette Number 16’ and flee before police arrived.

The defendant had been working two months with West Hempstead’s Sigma Transportation, Inc. He was not on duty at the time of the robbery, but he used his ambulette as a getaway vehicle, the DA said.

Police reviewed the GPS tracking records for the ambulette and found that it had been in the vicinity of the salon at the time the robbery was taking place.

The DA said “a few mouse clicks” led to the defendant’s undoing.

“Such technology clearly gives new meaning to the old adage, ‘You can run but you cannot hide,’” Brown said.

A search warrant was executed at Cheeks’ home, where police found black clothing and a black jacket similar to the one described by the salon’s employees and customers who had been robbed, the DA said.

The robber was also seen wearing the jacket on video surveillance recorded in the salon.

At the nail salon Thursday afternoon, Yin Chen, who was present during the 2009 robbery, reacted to Cheeks' sentencing.

"It's a good thing," she said. 

Paul Leonard contributed reporting.