Arcadia Man And Eight Co-Conspirators Sentenced For Committing Multiple Armed Robberies, Home Invasions, Shootings While Dressed As Police Officers

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle today sentenced Darius Hudson (44, Arcadia) to 39 years and 2 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, three separate Hobbs Act robberies, and brandishing and discharging a firearm during the commission of those robberies. On January 22, 2024, a federal found Hudson guilty as charged. He is the last of his co-conspirators to be sentenced in the conspiracy.

According to evidence introduced during the trial, between December 2020 and April 2021, a group of individuals conspired with each other to commit armed robberies throughout Pasco, Polk, Lee, and Hillsborough counties, as well as Georgia and Arizona. Members of this conspiracy, including Hudson, impersonated law enforcement officers by wearing black clothing, gloves, and masks, often with law enforcement insignia, or vests with “Sheriff” affixed. They drove a black SUV equipped with lights, and often handcuffed their victims. During these robberies, victims and their family members were awoken in the middle of the night at home, beaten, pistol whipped, threatened, and, on several occasions, shot. Hudson was identified as the individual who brought a white backpack to his robberies, which he used to store zip ties that he would later use on his victims.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Bartow Police Department, the Lakeland Police Department, the Dade City Police Department, the Cape Coral Police Department, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.