Serial Robber Sentenced To 17 Years For Conspiracy To Commit Robbery And Armed Robberies Of Auto Parts Stores In South Tampa And Ybor City

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Antonio Brown (45, Tampa) to 17 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. His codefendant, Steven Jackson, was previously sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison. Brown had pleaded guilty on June 23, 2023.

According to court documents, Brown and Jackson robbed two auto parts stores in the Tampa area on August 29, 2021. They first drove from Jackson’s home in the Palm River-Clair Mel neighborhood of Tampa to an auto parts store on South Dale Mabry Highway, where Brown and Jackson carried firearms and wore surgical masks when they entered the store. They brandished their firearms, demanded money from store employees, and stole approximately $300 from cash registers. 

Shortly after completing the first robbery, Brown and Jackson drove to an auto parts store on 50^th Street North in Tampa, where they again entered wearing masks and carrying firearms. They pointed their firearms at store clerks and demanded money from the cash registers. Brown and Jackson stole approximately $1,140 from the store during this robbery.

Later that night, officers from the Tampa Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Brown was driving. During a search of the car, they found a distinctive hat that one of the robbers had worn during the armed robberies, approximately $900 in cash, and Jackson’s wallet containing his identification.  Further investigation provided evidence showing Jackson in the vicinity of the auto parts stores at the times of the robberies. Officers also found the clothes Jackson had worn during the robberies in his garbage outside his residence.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee, Michael Sinacore, and Charlie Connally.

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.