Miami-Dade Bandit Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison

MIAMI, FL — A 35-year-old Miami-Dade man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from three robberies in 2016. Thirty-five-year-old Alfredo Garcia pleaded guilty to holding up two gas stations and a convenience store. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno.

The sentence was announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of Miami, Special Agent In Charge Ari C. Shapira of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Miami Field Office and Miami Police Chief Jorge R. Colina.

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"Between Feb. 11, 2016, and Feb. 14, 2016, Garcia robbed a Stop & Shop convenience store, a Valero Gas Station, and a Westar Gas Station, all in Miami-Dade County," federal prosecutors said. "In each robbery, Garcia approached the cashier, stated that he had a firearm and demanded money from the cash register."

Prosecutors said that Garcia displayed the butt of a firearm in his jacket pocket during the Stop & Shop robbery.

The case was investigated by ATF and the Miami Police Department under Project Safe Neighborhoods, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer, according to prosecutors.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Turken.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano