Jury Declares Miami Man Guilty of Armed Robbery Spree

Miami, Florida — An armed robber who spent a week in October 2019 holding up convenience stores in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties was found guilty last week by a federal jury on 10 counts of Hobbs Act robbery.

During the nine-day jury trial in Miami federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brooke Latta and Ajay Alexander proved that Jonathan Wayne Daniels, 39, from Miami, committed the robberies. 

The evidence included testimony from victimized store employees, multiple positive identifications of Daniels, and video surveillance footage, among other things. In addition, the AUSAs presented evidence that during law enforcement’s investigation of the robberies, officers learned that the suspected robber was staying at a motel in Miami. When officers arrived at the suspect’s motel room door and announced themselves, Daniels — who was inside the room — jumped out a window, leapt over a fence, and began sprinting towards a nearby expressway. Officers caught Daniels mid-sprint and arrested him.  

U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham, who sits in Miami, will sentence Daniels on January 14, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. Daniels faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count of conviction.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge FBI Miami, announced the guilty verdict.

FBI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from Miami Dade Police Department, Miami Gardens Police Department, City of Miami Police Department, Miramar Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Pembroke Pines Police Department.

This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. 

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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 19-cr-20708.

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