Justice Department exhibits depict members of a Florida-based armed robbery conspiracy where Darius Hudson and others would pose as police officers to gain illegal entry.
For months, a group of armed men in Florida posed as police officers, donning official-looking garb while covering their faces as they invaded homes, brandished guns, and occasionally fired them at their terrified victims, and this week, a federal jury has convicted one of the conspirators: Darius “Toot” Hudson.
Hudson, 44, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit no less than three robberies and discharging a gun during a violent crime. He was also convicted of Hobbs Act Robbery, and now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 27 years and could receive up to life in prison. An order from a federal judge reviewed by Law&Crime on Wednesday indicates the Acadia resident will be sentenced on April 24.
A jury found Hudson guilty of participating in a slew of robberies spanning from December 2020 to April 2021 in multiple counties in Florida as well as Arizona and Georgia. A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida’s Middle District said Hudson conspired or did commit armed robberies in Florida’s Pasco, Polk, Lee and Hillsborough counties.
Hudson and at least four others would don black gloves, clothes and face masks, usually with vests featuring “Sheriff” emblazoned on them. According to the News-Press, a 28-year-old woman and claims adjuster, Jasmine Weber, was sentenced last month in Florida for her role assisting Hudson and others who posed as police officers. She admitted to helping her conspirators locate their victims by tapping her LexisNexis account at work to find their addresses. She then helped them purchase sheriff’s equipment and gear including vests and patches.
Background: DOJ exhibits in the criminal complaint against Darius “Toot” Hudson. Prosecutors say they recognized Hudson by the backpack he carried during the home invasions that spanned from late 2020 to mid-2021./Inset: Sheriff’s vests and other gear used by defendants to commit multiple armed home invasions.
Driving in a black Dodge Durango and a white Chevrolet Malibu, both equipped with “blue flashing lights,” a complaint noted, they also carried handcuffs and would “arrest” their victims before they beat, threatened, pistol-whipped and at times, shot at them.
In an FBI affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, one agent described how Hudson and his cohorts invaded a home they believed was a marijuana grow house in Florida around midnight. Three people were sleeping inside.
“The suspects proceeded to forcefully move the victims to the living room and pistol whipped them. They demanded cash and began searching the residence. The suspects stole two Apple iPhones and an 18-karat gold chain link necklace,” the agent wrote. “The suspects eventually fled through the front door and gunshots were heard coming from the general area where the suspects had fled.”
Hudson and his cohorts were accused of hitting a second house in Lakeland that informants and cooperating defendants told police was known to be associated with a drug dealer who also ran a gambling outfit from the home.
During this invasion, a man was hit over the head and shot but the assailants escaped. Surveillance footage from the scene, however, showed a fleeing man carrying a backpack that police had recognized from elsewhere. It was Hudson. Investigators said he would often carry a white backpack to the robberies.
Through a series of executed phone and search warrants, detectives were eventually able to uncover Hudson’s role in the conspiracy and court records indicate authorities were able to detect how Hudson and his alleged accomplices surveilled victims’ residences before swooping in.
Hudson and Weber comprise just two of what prosecutors say is likely a ring of at least six accomplices.
