CAPE CORAL, Fla. – The U.S. Middle District of Florida has announced the arrest of a Hialeah man accused of armed robbery at a Cape Coral jewelry store that occurred on Tuesday.
Law enforcement arrested and filed a criminal complaint charging Ivel Sanchez Rivera, 52, with conspiracy and interference with commerce by robbery and use and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the criminal complaint, Rivera, who was the getaway driver, along with two individuals, entered Tio Jewelers while the store was closed and waited for the manager to arrive.
The two individuals then allegedly forced the manager to open the safe and proceeded to take a large amount of jewelry and two firearms from the store.
The other two individuals accused of robbing the store have not been identified.
According to United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, Rivera faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy offense and a consecutive 7-year sentence in federal prison for the firearm offense, if convicted.
Cape Coral police identified Rivera’s vehicle as the same used in the robbery, noting that he had driven the car to the area of Tio Jewelers the night before the theft and then immediately returned to Miami after the crime was committed.
A search warrant was issued for Rivera’s residences, which yielded the seizure of two firearms. One of the firearms recovered belonged to the jewelry store’s owner, taken during the robbery.
According to the U.S. Middle District of Florida, a “criminal complaint is an allegation 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 investigation remains ongoing and the other two individuals have not been arrested.
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US Department of Justice press release. click HERE to view.