Thomas Munne, a 44-year-old marijuana dealer from South Florida, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and aiding and abetting the commission of the robbery in a Miami federal district court.
Munne, who was identified by investigators as the mastermind behind the operation, had planned to rob a rival marijuana dealer believed to have a large amount of money. He recruited a co-conspirator from California, promising to cover his expenses while in Miami.
On August 4, 2020, the intended victim was pulled over by a gray sedan with flashing red and blue visor lights, which he initially thought was a legitimate traffic stop. Two men in masks and imitation police clothing, one of whom was armed, approached his truck and the co-conspirator and another person he had enlisted for the robbery pulled the victim from his truck, handcuffed, and assaulted him.
The co-conspirators then zip-tied the victim’s legs and tossed him in the backseat of his truck, before ditching the sedan in a remote location and driving to the victim’s house. Once inside, they forcefully restrained the victim’s mother and stole a safe from the victim’s bedroom.
The suspects returned to the remote location and threatened to kill the victim if he didn’t provide the safe combination. Fearing for his life, the victim gave up the information, and the suspects removed more than $200,000 from the victim’s marijuana dealings before fleeing the scene in the gray sedan.
Law enforcement later discovered a GPS tracker that had been attached to the victim’s truck, which led them to a store in Miami that sold imitation police clothing. Video surveillance showed the co-conspirator arriving in a gray sedan and purchasing the tracker, which was later found to be linked to a hotel in Miami Lakes.
Further investigation revealed that Munne had also told the co-conspirator the victim’s vehicle and address, and that he had paid more than $130,000 for a boat within weeks of the robbery. Additionally, he had mailed some of the robbery proceeds to his co-conspirator in California.
Munne’s co-conspirator was sentenced to 214 months for carjacking and brandishing a firearm to advance a crime of violence. Investigation into the second conspirator is ongoing. Munne will be sentenced on January 24, 2023.
The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department, with the prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shane Butland and Eduardo Gardea.
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 under case number 22-cr-20182.
Related Federal Cases
- Florida Trio Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Robbery, Kidnapping, and Trafficking · Texas
- Javon Glen Britton, Gunpoint Robbery, Macon GA, 2014 · California
- Thomas R. Hazelrigg, III, Tax Evasion and Social Security Number Mi… · Washington
- Thomas Mitchell Johnson Jailed Again for Africa Trip Scam · California
- Miller Accused of $3.5M Miami Beach Bank Fraud · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
