Andres Correa and Cassandra Kerr of Lakeland pleaded guilty on Mar. 26 to multiple charges related to a series of armed robberies that took place in August 2025, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The case is significant because both individuals face the possibility of life in federal prison after admitting their roles in violent crimes that targeted local businesses and involved firearms. The sentencing dates for Correa, age 39, and Kerr, age 46, have not yet been set.
Court records show that on July 28, 2025, Correa and Kerr robbed a food truck on Sheldon Road in Tampa with Correa brandishing a firearm while demanding money from two victims as Kerr acted as lookout. On August 5, they robbed a gas station where Correa pointed a pistol at one victim’s stomach until he received money; again, Kerr served as lookout outside the store. Two days later they robbed a food mart in Tampa using similar tactics.
On August 19, Correa alone robbed a smoke shop in Seffner by holding a customer at gunpoint while demanding cash from the clerk. Law enforcement executed search warrants on August 26 at two residences where they found clothing matching surveillance footage descriptions, a firearm consistent with those used during the robberies, and other evidence including a ledger listing banks and smoke shops.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office jointly investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman is prosecuting it.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and violent crime through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
