James Battle, Jr., Hobbs Act Robbery, Florida 2023

Tampa, FL – In a brazen daylight robbery, James Battle, Jr., 29, of Palm Harbor, and Carlos Keanu Smith, 28, of Largo, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robbery.

According to court documents, on June 9, 2023, Battle and Smith met to rob an armored truck. They followed the armored truck from Pinellas County to eastern Hillsborough County before reaching a gas station in Ellenton. Surveillance video showed the vehicle following the armored truck to other locations before conducting the robbery at the gas station in Ellenton.

On the morning of the robbery, Battle’s vehicle followed seconds behind the targeted armored truck, as shown in Florida Department of Transportation toll records. When the driver returned to his vehicle, Battle and Smith approached the victim with pistols pointed at him, forcing him to the ground. They stole more than $150,000 from the armored truck.

Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the robbery offenses and a minimum mandatory sentence of 7 years, up to life, for brandishing the firearm. Battle also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act Robbery, which involves a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2024, and Battle is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2, 2024.

In connection with the same armored truck robbery, Jorge Serrano Espinoza, 19, of Clearwater, was also recently charged with Hobbs Act Robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and aiding and abetting others who brandished firearms during the robbery.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench.

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 our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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