Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Hugo J. Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, and Deryl Loar, Indian River County Sheriff, announce the arrest of Glenn Thomas Carvajal, 34, of Vero Beach. Carvajal made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank J. Lynch Jr. in Ft. Pierce. After a detention hearing, Carvajal was detained, pending trial, as a risk of flight and danger to the community.
More specifically, the complaint charges the defendant with interfering with commerce by threats or violence (robbery), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a), and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). If convicted of interfering with commerce by threats or violence (robbery), the defendant faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. If convicted of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, the defendant faces a consecutive seven year term in prison.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint, on Oct. 10, 2013, Carvajal entered the Game Stop store located in Vero Beach. Carvajal handed the employee a hand written note, which read “I have a gun, please empty the register as soon as possible" and showed the employee a black semi-automatic handgun. Carvajal took hundreds of dollars’ worth of inventory and property from the employee. Before Carvajal exited the store, he warned the employee that he had someone monitoring the phones, to wait 15 minutes before calling the police and threatened that if the employee failed to comply, he knew who he was, where he lived, and would kill or hurt him or one of his family members. Investigators have confirmed that Carvajal was previously employed by Game Stop as a manager.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.
A complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
