Three Auburndale Men Each Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Prison for Brandishing Firearms During Convenience Store Robberies
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Eddrick Wright (25, Auburndale), Kaylob Davis (23, Auburndale), and Amere Benjamin (22, Auburndale) each to 14 years in federal prison for brandishing firearms while they were robbing convenience stores in Lutz and New Port Richey. The court also ordered the defendants to forfeit the firearms and make restitution to the victims.
Wright, Davis, and Benjamin each had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a robbery.
According to court documents, during the early morning of December 14, 2019, Wright, Davis, and Benjamin robbed two convenience stores, about an hour apart. In each case, they entered the store, pointed firearms at the clerks, ordered them to open the registers, and took cash. They also took products from the stores and personal property from the store employees. During the robberies, the defendants wore masks, including a Darth Vader mask.
Approximately two hours after the second robbery, Florida Highway Patrol pulled over a vehicle that Wright was driving and in which Davis and Benjamin were passengers. During a search of the vehicle, the FHP trooper found firearms, a Darth Vader mask, credit cards, and a driver license belonging to the convenience store employees.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
