Department of Justice

Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Richard Allen Randolph (42, Youngstown, OH) with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery and attempted robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm, and one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of one of the robberies. If convicted, Randolph faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each robbery count, a minimum mandatory of term of 7 years, up to life, in federal prison for each count of brandishing a firearm, and a minimum mandatory of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison for discharging a firearm during one of the robberies.

According to the indictment, during between January 27 and February 26, 2020, Randolph went into four commercial establishments in Tampa and robbed store employees at gunpoint.

An indictment 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 was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.