DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Benjamin G. Greenberg
, United States Attorney
Contact: Sarah J. Schall

Miami-Dade County Resident Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Multiple Robberies of Commercial Establishments

On August 28, 2018, Alfredo Garcia, 35, of Miami-Dade County, was sentenced to a total of 264 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno, after previously pleading guilty to three counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, and Jorge R. Colina, Chief, City of Miami Police Department (MPD), made the announcement.

According to court records, between February 11, 2016, and February 14, 2016, Garcia robbed a Stop & Shop convenience store, a Valero Gas Station, and a Westar Gas Station, all in Miami-Dade County.  In each robbery, Garcia approached the cashier, stated that he had a firearm, and demanded money from the cash register.  During the robbery of the Stop & Shop convenience store, Garcia displayed the butt of a firearm that was in his jacket pocket. 

This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigatory efforts of the ATF and MPD in this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Turken.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

 

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Miami Field Division