Two Tampa men have been indicted in connection with a gunpoint home robbery in which one suspect allegedly posed as a utility worker before restraining a family with zip ties, including a 13-year-old boy, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Jay El Wilburn, 47, and Alvaughn Parker, 27, both from Tampa, are facing multiple federal counts. The charges include conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery—a statute covering robberies that impact interstate commerce—along with robbery, using a firearm during a violent crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The indictment says Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a Tampa apartment on Jan. 20 after reports of an armed robbery that had just taken place.
Federal prosecutors said Jay El Wilburn, 47, shown dressed as a utility worker, robbed and zip-tied a family during a home invasion alongside co-defendant Alvaughn Parker, 27. (Justice Department)
Prosecutors allege Wilburn wore a hard hat and reflective vest to impersonate a utility employee and get inside the apartment, where a man, a woman, and a 13-year-old boy were present.
After being let in, Wilburn allegedly pulled out a Taurus PT58S .380-caliber handgun. Prosecutors said he seized the woman by the back of the neck and pushed the firearm against her stomach.
He then allegedly ordered her to bind the hands of the man and the teenage boy behind their backs with zip ties. After the victims were restrained, Parker entered the apartment dressed in all black, wearing a face mask and oversized sunglasses, according to prosecutors.
Jay El Wilburn, 47, faces multiple federal charges tied to the home robbery, according to the Justice Department. (Justice Department)
The pair stole approximately $15,000 in cash, controlled substances, three firearms, about two ounces of marijuana, and jewelry physically taken from one of the victims before fleeing the scene.
Investigators linked the two suspects to the robbery using surveillance footage from nearby buildings, license plate readers, and other investigative methods.
On Feb. 2, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a federal search warrant at Wilburn’s residence, where they recovered the loaded firearm used in the robbery.
NYPD officers equipped with zip tie handcuffs stand in Manhattan. (Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
Wilburn has prior felony convictions, including carjacking and the use of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, legally prohibiting him from possessing firearms.
He has also previously served a federal prison sentence for using a firearm during a crime of violence.
