MIAMI, FL – Wayne Tarpley, 30, of Miami, is facing a potential life sentence after admitting his role in a brazen series of armed robberies targeting shoppers in the upscale Design District and surrounding areas. Tarpley’s guilty plea on January 24th closes the book on a crew that terrorized victims, leaving them bruised, battered, and robbed of their hard-earned possessions.
According to court documents, Tarpley, along with co-defendants Tyreke Lafane Jackson, 23, and Da’Vontae Bobby McCrae, 23, both of Miami, conspired to ambush individuals perceived to be carrying cash. On August 19, 2022, the crew meticulously planned a hit, with McCrae and Tarpley discussing “lurking” jewelers and targeting those “with a big bag obvious money.” Their plan quickly turned violent when Jackson deliberately crashed a vehicle into a victim’s car as they left the Design District, creating the opportunity for McCrae and Tarpley to rob them at gunpoint of a recently purchased watch.
The violence didn’t stop there. The trio also confessed to a particularly brutal robbery on September 13, 2022. They chased down a victim walking to an event, tackling them to the ground, brutally pistol-whipping them, and then stealing their belongings. The details paint a picture of calculated aggression and a complete disregard for human life. All three defendants have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence – federal charges that carry serious consequences.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, alongside Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales and ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson, announced Tarpley’s guilty plea. The investigation, a collaborative effort between the Miami Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Division, and the Miami-Dade Police Department, underscores the commitment to dismantling violent criminal enterprises operating within the city.
Tarpley is scheduled for sentencing on April 23rd before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams. Jackson and McCrae are slated to appear before the same judge on March 25th and February 23rd, respectively. All three face the grim possibility of spending the rest of their lives behind bars. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is also pursuing asset forfeiture related to the robberies.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated law enforcement efforts. Authorities urge anyone with information about gun crimes to contact Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. The streets of Miami are a little safer today, but the scars of this crew’s violence will linger for their victims.”
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