A 45-year-old Tampa serial robber who threatened victims during the course of the three robberies with a weapon has been convicted.
United States Attorney Roger Handberg announced that a federal jury has found Johnny Flores, of 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 that was traced back to an individual. That individual 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, 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.
