Tampa Republic

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Johnny Flores (45, Tampa) guilty of three counts of Hobbs Act robbery. Flores faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 22, 2024.

According to evidence presented at trial, between February 13 and February 25, 2022, Flores entered three Tampa businesses wearing a hooded sweatshirt and facial covering. He brandished and threatened the victims with a weapon and removed cash from the registers. Flores verbally and physically assaulted the victims during the course of the three robberies.

Flores was initially identified through video surveillance recordings that showed him leaving two of the robberies in a vehicle traced back to an individual who identified Flores but died prior to the trial. A second individual had dropped Flores off near the remaining robbery. Although he testified that he didn’t know that Flores had committed a robbery, the individual testified that he had driven Flores to a location near the robbery. Additional video surveillance recordings showed Flores at a clinic prior to the robberies with similar clothing. He was subsequently identified by law enforcement.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence, making neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.