A Fort Myers couple has been apprehended after allegedly conducting a series of armed robberies along Interstate 75 last week, according to U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe.
Starting on September 16, the pair went on a crime spree, robbing five stores over three days.
Kehoe said that Taleah Williams, 21, was the mastermind behind the plan and provided the vehicle and firearm used during the robberies.
On September 16, they traveled to a Tampa convenience store, where 21-year-old Javion Ward entered with a gun and took approximately $600. The next morning, Williams tried to rob a Lake Panasoffkee gas station but was unsuccessful and left empty-handed.
Two days later, the pair embarked on a spree in four Gulf Coast cities near I-75, targeting locations in Gibsonton, Ellenton, Nokomis, and North Port, per Kehoe.
In Gibsonton, Ward leaped over the counter to access the safe, and in Ellenton, he threatened an employee with a pistol-whipping for not moving swiftly enough.
Within hours of the final robbery, Williams posted a video of her and Ward on social media, in which he was holding wads of cash in both hands.
Police executed a search warrant at Williams’ home the following day, where they found clothes matching the ones worn during the robberies.
Both are now facing federal charges of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a potential 20-year sentence, Kehoe said.
