Lakeland Couple Arrested After Committing String Of Armed Robberies

Tampa, FL - United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest and filing of criminal complaints charging Andres Correa (39, Lakeland) and Cassandra Kerr (46, Lakeland) with Hobbs Act robbery. The complaint alleges that Correa committed a series of armed robberies in August 2025. Kerr aided and abetted Correa in committing the robberies on August 5 and August 7, 2025. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each charge.

According to the complaints, on August 5, 2025, Correa and Kerr robbed a gas station in Tampa. Correa brandished a pistol and demanded money. Correa pressed the firearm into one of the victim’s stomachs until he received money from the business. Kerr acted as a lookout for Correa in her vehicle outside the store.

Two days later, Correa and Kerr robbed a food mart in Tampa. During the robbery, Correa entered the business, produced a pistol, and demanded money. Correa held one of the store clerks at gunpoint until receiving the money from the register. Kerr again acted a lookout for Correa during this robbery.

On August 19, 2025, Correa robbed a smoke shop in Seffner. After pulling a pistol from his chest area, Correa grabbed a customer and moved him back towards the counter. Correa pointed the firearm at the back of the victim’s head and neck as he demanded cash from the clerk. The clerk complied by handing Correa the cash register drawer.

On August 26,2025, FBI and ATF agents, along with detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, executed search warrants at two residences.  In one of the residences, officers located clothing consistent with surveillance footage, a firearm consistent with the firearm used in the robberies, a stomach holster, and a ledger with a list of banks and smoke shops and directions on how to get to those businesses.

These arrests were the result of joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

A complaint 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 is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).