DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Benjamin G. Greenberg
, United States Attorney

Miami-Dade County Resident Pleads Guilty to Committing a Spree of Commercial Armed Robberies

A Miami-Dade County resident pled guilty in federal court yesterday to committing a spree of commercial armed robberies between April 28, 2016 and May 3, 2016.
 
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Peter Forcelli, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, Al Rolle, Chief, Homestead Police Department, and Juan P. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.
 
Humberto Herrera, 43, of Homestead, pled guilty before United States District Judge Kathleen M. Williams in Miami, Florida, to four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of possessing, using, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.  Herrera faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each robbery and a minimum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment as to the firearm count.
 
According to the superseding indictment, Herrera committed armed robberies of Little Caesar’s restaurant, Advance Auto Parts, RaceTrac gas station, and Kohl’s Department Store, in Miami-Dade County, on April 28, April 29, May 2, and May 3, 2016, respectively.  As detailed in the agreed upon factual proffer, on each of these dates, Herrera entered the business, brandished a firearm, and threatened a store employee.  From Little Caesar’s, Advance Auto Parts, and RaceTrac, Herrera took United States currency; whereas, from Kohl’s, Herrera took approximately $33,000 worth of jewelry.  
 
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers from Homestead Police Department worked with the community to locate Herrera, and partnered with Miami-Dade Police Department to review surveillance footage from three of the robberies, interview victims that identified Herrera from photographic lineups, and recover Herrera’s latent fingerprints from Advance Auto Parts and Kohl’s.  Based on this information, on May 5, 2016, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Herrera in Florida City, Florida, but he fled from them on foot, before being taken into custody.
 
Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of ATF, Homestead Police Department and Miami-Dade Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Jonathan K. Osborne and J. Mackenzie Duane.
 
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Miami Field Division