Seven Individuals Associated with Armed Robbery Conspiracy Sentenced to Prison

The last of seven individuals associated with a string of violent armed robberies in Miami-Dade County has been sentenced to over 138 years in prison.

Benjamin C. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Pete J. Forcelli, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, Juan J. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), Daniel Junior, Interim Director, Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR), and Rodolfo Llanes, Chief, Miami Police Department (MPD), made the announcement.

Seven defendants were charged and convicted for their roles in a violent armed robbery conspiracy that began operating in Miami-Dade County, as early as 2006.  Andrew Nelson, 24, of Miami, was the final defendant to be sentenced, after having been convicted at trial, in January of 2017, of one count of participating in a Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, six counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and six counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence (Case No. 16-CR-20119).  On May 16, 2017, United States District Court Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Nelson to 1,662 months in prison.

According to evidence presented at trial, starting in 2006, members of the conspiracy began committing armed robberies of civilians, businesses, a bank, and illegal enterprises, including narcotics traffickers in Miami-Dade County.  As part of the robbery conspiracy, Nelson and his co-conspirators would shoot at victims and sell the narcotics they stole from other drug dealers.  After their arrest, members of the conspiracy used jailhouse telephone calls to communicate with their conspirators about planning crimes, collecting debts, and attempting to obstruct justice by planning to attack state prosecution witnesses.

Six co-conspirators were sentenced to varying prison terms following their guilty pleas to associated criminal offenses, including unlawful firearms possession.  Steven Stafford, 18, of Miami, was sentenced to 20 years; Anthony Stuckey, 19, of Miami, was sentenced to 32 years; Jarvis Robinson, 25, of Miami, was sentenced to 32 years; Leon Pearson, 27, of Miami, was sentenced to 36 months, and Terril Kinchen, 25, of Miami, was sentenced to 35 years, in prison (Case No. 16-CR-20119).  Torrence Lawton, 19, of Miami, was charged in a separate indictment (Case No. 15-CR-20783) and plead guilty to using a firearm in furtherance of two armed robberies, which he committed with members of the conspiracy.  Lawton was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Mr. Greenberg commended the collaborative investigative efforts of the ATF Miami Field Office/MDPD Street Terror Offender Program, FBI Miami Field Office, MDPD’s Robbery Bureau, MDCR’s Security Threat Group Unit, and the MPD Robbery Unit.  These cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ignacio J. Vazquez, Jr., Brian Dobbins and Cary Aronovitz