Police: Titusville Krystal robbery was an inside job

Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated the amount the suspect claimed he spent on the M4 rifle. The actual amount was $1,500.

Careful sleuthing by Titusville police uncovered a conspiracy in last Monday's armed robbery of a Krystal fast food restaurant.

Police say the man who reported the robbery, a Krystal employee, was working with the assailant in the heist, which netted over $8,000. Both are now facing charges.

Gary Zaffery, 25, and Quaeri Nevels, 24, both of Titusville, were arrested for grand theft, organized fraud, and filing a false police report. They were being held on bond Friday at the Brevard County Jail.

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On Feb. 5, Titusville police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Krystal on South Washington Ave. The complainant was Zaffery, who reportedly told police a masked man had entered the restaurant around 2 a.m. and held him at gunpoint before fleeing the premises with a large sum of cash. Police say the total stolen was $8,396.00.

After a careful review of the surveillance footage, police determined that the gunman was not wearing a mask as Zaffery reported and say that in one frame, Zaffery was shown smirking during the incident.

When officers brought this to Zaffery's attention, he broke down and confessed to organizing the scheme with his partner, Quaeri Nevels, who played the part of the gunman.

Nevels similarly confessed and told police he and Zaffery equally divided the loot after the theft, according to reports. Police say he spent his share, which he estimated at between $2,500 and $2,800, at a local strip club, and to buy alcohol and drugs. The remainder was on pre-paid charge cards, which police found in his wallet.

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Zaffery admitted to buying drugs, groceries, and new tires for his vehicle with stolen cash, as well as spending $1,500 on an M4 assault rifle in a private sale, reports state. The rest was in a Crown Royal bag at his home in the 2900 block of Brandywine Circle.

A police search of the residence recovered $440 in cash and several rolls of coins, along with the rifle and 10 grams of marijuana.

Both men are currently awaiting trial.

Contact Eric Rogers at 321-242-3717 and ESRogers@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EricRogersFT.