A Lakeland couple has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of armed robberies that took place in August 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the arrests and criminal complaints against Andres Correa, 39, and Cassandra Kerr, 46, both of Lakeland. The charges allege violations of the Hobbs Act robbery statute.
According to the complaints, on August 5, 2025, Correa and Kerr robbed a gas station in Tampa. During the incident, Correa reportedly brandished a pistol and demanded money from employees, pressing the firearm into one victim’s stomach until he received cash. Kerr acted as a lookout from her vehicle outside.
Two days later, on August 7, Correa and Kerr allegedly robbed a food mart in Tampa. In this case, Correa entered with a pistol and held an employee at gunpoint while demanding money from the register. Again, Kerr is accused of serving as lookout.
The complaint further states that on August 19, Correa robbed a smoke shop in Seffner by pulling out a pistol from his chest area and grabbing a customer before pointing the weapon at the back of the victim’s head while demanding cash from the clerk.
Law enforcement executed search warrants at two residences on August 26. Officers found clothing matching surveillance footage descriptions, a firearm similar to that used in the robberies, a stomach holster, and a ledger listing banks and smoke shops along with directions to those businesses.
“These arrests were the result of joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office,” according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe's office. “It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.”
“A complaint 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.”
The case falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation combines resources from programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
If convicted on each charge related to Hobbs Act robbery offenses—which involve robbery affecting interstate commerce—Correa and Kerr face up to 20 years in federal prison per count.
