Winter Haven Man Indicted For Hobbs Act Robbery

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Raysheio Black (24, Winter Haven) with Hobbs Act robbery, use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. If convicted on all counts, Black faces a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years in federal prison—which must be served consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. 

According to court documents, on February 19, 2024, three individuals entered a convenience in Plant City with dark-colored face coverings, gloves, masks, and armed with semi-automatic pistols. They demanded money from the clerk and removed cash from the register. A review of store surveillance video captured the suspects’ arrival and departure in a black SUV.

Agents noticed several similarities between the convenience store robbery and another robbery that had occurred days earlier at a pizza delivery location in Lakeland. On February 22, 2024, after identifying Black, officers with the Lakeland Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a black SUV in Lakeland and ultimately arrested Raysheio Black.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Lakeland Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be 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.