Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Delon Joseph Adams (48, Palmetto) with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Because Adams has a prior federal conviction for carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, each brandishing count carries a minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years, and up to life, in federal prison, to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The maximum penalty for each robbery count is 20 years’ imprisonment. The felon-in-possession count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, between August 26 and September 15, 2020, Adams robbed four businesses at gunpoint —three in Manatee County and one in Hillsborough County. During each robbery, Adams stole cash and iPhones.
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, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Palmetto Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
This case is 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.
