A Central Florida armed carjacker was sentenced to federal prison.
24-year-old Armoni Tyree Moody, of Davenport in Polk County, was sentenced to 11 years and 9 months in federal prison for carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of the carjacking, and possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. He was previously found guilty by a federal jury. The court also ordered Moody to forfeit the firearm and assorted rounds of ammunition used in the commission of the offense.
According to court records, Moody arranged to meet the victim of the carjacking over social media to purchase marijuana. Moody entered the passenger seat of the victim’s car, brandished a loaded handgun, and pressed it against the victim’s head. Moody then forced the victim to hand over the victim’s two cellphones and told the victim to get out of the car or that he would shoot him, before driving away with the victim’s car.
The following day, a search warrant was obtained for Moody’s residence. The victim’s belongings and the loaded firearm were recovered from Moody’s bedroom, and the victim’s car was found nearby.
Upon further investigation, detectives recovered text messages from Moody’s cellphone where he discussed his intent to commit the robbery and videos of Moody in possession of the same firearm on his social media account.
Prior to the offense, Armoni Tyree Moody was convicted of robbery with a weapon for which he was still serving a term of probation at the time of the carjacking.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement and the sentence was made by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make local neighborhoods safer for everyone.
