Evergreen Reporter

U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Johnny Flores, 45, of Tampa to 45 years in federal prison for three counts of Hobbs Act robbery. A federal jury found Flores guilty on May 30, 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 a weapon and threatened the victims, removing cash from the registers. During the robberies, he verbally and physically assaulted the victims.

Flores was initially identified through video surveillance recordings that showed him leaving two of the robberies in a vehicle traced back to another individual who died before the trial. A second individual had dropped Flores off near one of the robbery locations. Although this person testified that he did not know Flores had committed a robbery, he confirmed driving Flores to a location near the scene. Additional video surveillance recorded Flores at a clinic prior to the robberies wearing similar clothing, leading to his identification by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Tampa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman prosecuted it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence, aiming to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on fostering trust in communities, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations, setting focused enforcement priorities, and measuring results.