Suspects carried firearms, wore surgical masks and demanded money from store employees and cash registers
Tampa, Fla.— U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Steve Jackson, 41, of Tampa to 13 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Jackson had pleaded guilty on June 23. His codefendant, Antonio Brown, previously pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing.
According to court documents, on Aug. 29, 2021, Jackson and Brown drove to an auto parts store on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa carrying firearms and wearing surgical masks as they entered the store. They brandished their firearms, demanded money from store employees, and stole approximately $300 from the cash registers.
Shortly after completing the first robbery, Jackson and Brown drove to an auto parts store on 50th Street North in Tampa, where they again entered wearing masks and carrying firearms. They pointed their firearms at store clerks and demanded money from the cash registers. Jackson and Brown stole approximately $1,140 during this robbery.
Later that evening, officers from the Tampa Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Brown was driving. During a search of the car, they found a distinctive hat that one of the robbers had worn during the armed robberies, approximately $900 in cash, and Jackson’s wallet containing his identification. Further investigation revealed that Jackson had been in the vicinity of the auto parts stores at the times of the robberies. Officers also found the clothes Jackson wore during the robberies in his garbage outside of his residence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee, Michael Sinacore, and Charlie Connally.
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