South Florida Resident Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Committing Armed Robbery of Jewelry Store in Downtown Miami

A South Florida resident was sentenced today, by U.S. District Court Donald L. Graham, to 12 years in prison for committing an armed robbery of a jewelry store in the Seybold Building in downtown Miami.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney; George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge (FBI), Miami Field Division; and Rodolfo Llanes, Chief, City of Miami Police Department (MPD), made the announcement.

Jessie Wooden, 29, of Miami, pled guilty in May of 2017 to conspiring to commit an armed robbery, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Judge Graham sentenced Wooden to 154 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to the court record, including the agreed upon factual proffer, on October 29, 2016, Wooden and his co-conspirator robbed a jewelry store located in the Seybold Building in downtown Miami. Once inside the jewelry store, Wooden brandished a firearm while the co-conspirator bound the victim’s hands and feet. The defendant and his co-conspirator stole approximately 35 watches and over $250,000 in U.S. currency.

On January 11, 2017, law enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle Wooden was driving. Wooden refused to stop and sideswiped an officer’s vehicle in an attempt to evade capture. Ultimately, Wooden crashed his vehicle and was taken into custody. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded firearm. An additional search of Wooden’s residence revealed over 100 rounds of ammunition.

Mr. Greenberg commends the FBI and MPD for their collaborative work as part of the South Florida Violent Crime Task Force. Mr. Greenberg also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance with this matter. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marianne Curtis from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.