Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Rodney Devon Jones (26, Orlando) with carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Jones faces a minimum mandatory term of seven years, and up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Jones that the United States intends to forfeit firearms and ammunition involved in the offenses.
According to the indictment, on or about September 28, 2021, Jones knowingly took a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio from another person by force, violence, and intimidation, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Seminole Police Department, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as part of the Middle District of Florida’s Safe Trails Task Force. The Safe Trails Task Force is a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Seminole Police Department, and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that are working together to combat the growth of crime in Indian Country. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
This case is also 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.