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Press Release

Armed Robber Targeting Taxi Cab And Food Delivery Drivers Indicted

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announce that defendant Lionell Sanders (a/k/a “Pistol,” and “Briscoe”), 19, of Miami, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a), four counts of armed robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a), and four counts of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).

The defendant is the alleged leader of a group targeting taxi cab and food delivery drivers in the Allapattah and Little Haiti neighborhoods of the City of Miami. The drivers were called out to the areas during the early morning hours, and accosted by the defendant and his coconspirators. The drivers were forced out of their vehicles at gunpoint, robbed, and often pistol-whipped.

Once the defendant realized that law enforcement was on his trail, he fled the area. Due to a multi-agency effort, the defendant was apprehended on September 27, 2013. The defendant is presently detained, pending trial. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the City of Miami Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Singh Johannes.

An indictment is only an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Updated March 12, 2015