Jacorian Brown, Jessica Nicholas Guilty in Armed Gas Station Heists

Two Brandon residents are facing decades behind bars after pleading guilty to a violent spree of armed gas station robberies across Hillsborough County. Jacorian Rashawn Brown, 24, and Jessica Duenas Nicholas, 45, admitted in federal court to conspiracy and armed robbery, with Brown also copping to brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The pair’s crime spree targeted Murphy USA locations in Wimauma and Gibsonton in July 2016—bold daylight hits that ended only when they were caught red-handed.

On July 9, 2016, Brown and Nicholas walked into the Murphy USA gas station in Wimauma and walked out with more than $10,000 in cash and goods. Armed and unmasked, they used the threat of violence to force employees into compliance, according to plea agreements filed in U.S. District Court. Surveillance footage from the scene showed Brown brandishing a semi-automatic pistol while Nicholas directed the haul—cold, calculated, and dangerous.

Emboldened by their success, the duo attempted a second heist ten days later at another Murphy USA station, this time in Gibsonton. That robbery failed—employees triggered silent alarms, and law enforcement responded too quickly. But the pair didn’t retreat for long. On July 23, 2016, they returned to the Wimauma location, allegedly planning another armed stickup. They never made it inside. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office intercepted them in the parking lot, finding two loaded semi-automatic pistols and nearly 100 rounds of ammunition stashed in their vehicle.

Brown now faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, due in part to the firearm charge, which carries mandatory minimums and stacks onto the armed robbery count. Nicholas, who did not brandish a weapon, faces up to 20 years in prison. Both pleaded guilty without a plea deal, meaning the court has full discretion at sentencing. A date for that hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The investigation was a coordinated push by multiple federal and local agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Their joint task force methodically pieced together surveillance, ballistic evidence, and witness testimony to dismantle the couple’s defense before charges were even filed.

Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons is prosecuting the case, underscoring the federal government’s hard line on armed robberies targeting commercial businesses. With Brown staring down life behind bars and Nicholas facing two decades, the message is clear: armed robbery in the Tampa corridor won’t be tolerated—and won’t pay off.