Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced today that Curtis Langlois, 37, Madison, pleaded guilty in federal court in Madison to a six-count information charging him with two counts of Hobbs Act armed robbery, two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of facilitating the straw purchase of a firearm.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, the government filed an information under the three-strikes statute, seeking an enhanced sentence based on Langlois’s prior qualifying felony convictions. This enhancement increased the maximum penalties for the Hobbs Act counts and the § 924(c) counts to mandatory life.

At the plea hearing, the government submitted a written factual proffer of evidence that indicated:

1. On July 27, 2017, Curtis Langlois and his girlfriend (Holly Antijunti) went to the Gander Mountain store in Rothschild, Wisconsin to purchase a handgun and ammunition. Langlois picked out a Hi Point Model C9, 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol, serial number P10011940 for Antijunti to purchase on his behalf. He also picked out a box of ammunition. With Langlois standing next to her, Antijunti filled out the Form 4473 claiming she was the buyer and that she was not buying the gun on behalf of another person. Antijunti told authorities she knew Curtis was a convicted felon who had just been released from prison and was currently on parole. She purchased the gun for him because he asked her to do so. He said he needed the gun for personal protection. The surveillance video at Gander Mountain shows Langlois and Antijunti at the gun counter with Antijunti picking out the firearm and a box of 9mm ammunition.

2. At approximately 11:30 p.m. on August 2, 2017, Langlois entered the Family Video store in Wausau, Wisconsin. He pointed a firearm at Aaron Carr, the lone store clerk. Langlois was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and a black bandana covering his whole face except for his eyes. He had a black semi-automatic pistol that he pointed directly at the clerk. Carr pulled the drawers out of both registers and handed them to Langlois, who pulled out all of the cash. Langlois asked Carr where all of the big bills were. Carr said that was everything. Langlois then exited the store. Langlois stole $506 in cash from the two drawers.

3. At approximately 11:47 p.m. on August 7, 2017, Langlois entered the Fast Break Mobil Gas Station and Convenience store in Wausau, WI. Langlois walked up to the clerk (Sohin Patel) who was behind the counter and pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at the clerk. Langlois was wearing a grey zipped hooded sweatshirt, grey sweat pants, and black sneakers. He had a Seattle Seahawks baseball cap on his head and a bandana covering his face except for his eyes. The bandana had smiley faces on it. Langlois told the clerk to open the cash register and the safe. The clerk complied and set the cash drawers on the counter. Langlois pulled the cash from the drawers and shoved the cash into his pockets. Langlois told Patel to keep his hands up during the robbery, saying at one point "keep your hands up motherfucker." Then Langlois turned and ran out of the store. Langlois stole $2,150 in cash. The cash from the store safe was bundled with paper bands. The store had video surveillance cameras which captured the armed robbery on video. Wausau police created stills of the robber from the store video. The stills show that the robber has distinctive birthmarks on his left hand in the webbing of his fingers.

4. Wausau Police Department Detectives obtained search warrants to search Antijunti’s apartment and car. Detectives executed those warrants late in the evening on August 8, 2017. In the vehicle, Detectives located and seized a Hi Point Model C9, 9mm Luger semi-automatic pistol, serial number P10011940, with one round of 9mm ammunition in the chamber and 6 rounds in the clip. The firearm was found in the center console of the car. During the search of Antijunti’s apartment, officers located in the living room a Seattle Seahawks baseball cap. In Antijunti’s bedroom, officers found a pile of men’s clothing, including a grey hooded zipper sweatshirt, grey sweatpants, a bandana with smiley face emoji’s and two grey t-shirts. They also found a pair of black men’s tennis shoes. $100 cash in $10 bills wrapped in a paper band was found in the pocket of the sweatshirt. Officers also found a box of 9mm ammunition. The box of 50 rounds had only 27 rounds left in the box. Another $89 in singles were found in the top drawer of the dresser. A paper money band was found in the trash can in the bathroom.

5. On August 9, 2017, at approximately 8:50 a.m., Langlois told jail staff he wanted to talk to the Detectives. The two case Detectives met with Langlois. The interview was taped. Langlois waived his Miranda warnings. Langlois stated, among other things, the following:

• Langlois said Antijunti bought a gun for protection and he took it from her. He said he did the two robberies. He said Antijunti had nothing to do with it.
• Langlois said he killed Kendrith Young and shot Young’s friend at the 7-Eleven off Todd Drive in Madison on August 2, 2017, at about 12:15 a.m.
• Langlois killed Young because he did not like Young. He used the 9mm gun that the police found in the center console of Antijunti’s car.
• Langlois had an accomplice in the shooting. The accomplice shot Young first but Young was still living. Then Langlois shot Young in the head. He shot Young’s friend 4 times in the back.
• Langlois knew his bullets killed Young because he could "see the life leave his eyes" when he shot him in the head. Langlois tried to kill the friend as well, but he ran out of bullets. The bullets came from the box of ammunition the police found in Antijunti’s bedroom.
• Langlois said he was wearing camouflage shorts, a grey t-shirt, grey shoes and a ski mask with bone designs on it when he did the shooting at the 7-Eleven.

6. Later in the day on August 9, 2017, pursuant to Antijunti’s consent to search her car, officers did a second search. Inside the car, officers found grey camouflage-color shorts and a grey t-shirt. Also, Antijunti provided officers with a pair of grey sneakers belonging to Langlois.

After pleading guilty, Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson immediately sentenced Langlois. Judge Peterson imposed four life sentences, with two of the life sentences for the Hobbs Act robberies running concurrent to each other and to the life sentence Langlois received in his state homicide case. Judge Peterson imposed the other two life sentences for the § 924(c) crimes consecutive to all of the other sentences, as well as the life sentence in Langlois’s state homicide case. In addition, Judge Peterson imposed the statutory maximum of 5 years on the straw purchasing count, and 10 years on the unlawful felon in possession count, with both of these sentences running concurrent to the life sentences.

On December 7, 2017, Dane County Circuit Judge Ellen Berz sentenced Langlois to life without the possibility of parole for killing Kendrith Young, and to a consecutive 40-year prison sentence for shooting Rodney Lemon, who was with Young on August 2, 2017, at the 7-Eleven convenience store on the south side of Madison. Two of Langlois’s federal life sentences will run concurrent to this state life sentence. The other two federal life sentences will run consecutive to all other sentences.

Holly Antijunti, 27, Wausau, also appeared in federal court in Madison before Judge Peterson this afternoon and pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment that charged her with straw purchase of a firearm for a felon. The statutory maximum penalties for this offense are five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 criminal assessment.

At her plea hearing, Antijunti admitted she met Langlois in Madison in June 2017 at a conference. She admitted she knew Langlois was a convicted felon who had served prison time when she bought the gun and ammunition for him at the Gander Mountain store on July 27, 2017. Antijunti explained to Judge Peterson that she was not coerced into making the gun purchase; she did it because Langlois asked her to, and because she believed he needed the gun for personal protection.

The charges against these two defendants were investigated by the Wausau Police Department, Madison Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Graber and Corey C. Stephan.

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