Man charged in miami armed robbery of two south florida businesses
August 13, 2009
In Miami, Florida, Jeffrey Sloman, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Hugo Barrera, Special Agent for Alcohol Firearms and Tobacco (ATF), Robert Parker, Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Rafael Hernandez, the police chief of North Miami Beach Police Department and Richard Naue, police chief for the City of Coral Gables Police Department made a joint announcement stating that Frankie Medrano, formerly of West Palm Beach and Miami was arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery at two separate Miami businesses.
Armed robbery is one of the most serious offenses set forth in the Florida Statutes. Medrano will need the assistance of a
Miami criminal attorney to defend both cases.
Medrano has been charged for committing an armed robbery at a Coral Gables Subway on May 30, 2009 and also has been charged with an armed robbery of a Radio Shack located in Southwest Miami on July 17, 2009. On both occasions, Medrano committed the armed robbery by entering each store, drawing a firearm and demanding money from the clerk. Medrano has been indicted federally under the federal robbery statute. Medrano can be sentenced up to 20 years in prison on each robbery count and to life in prison for each firearm charge.
Medrano has been implicated in fifteen armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery. He has not been indicted on all of those cases to date. On July 25, 2009, law enforcement authorities arrested Medrano and recovered a 9mm firearm and an air pistol from his automobile. The firearm was allegedly the one used to commit the armed robberies. A
bond hearing was held in
federal court on July 31, 2009, where Magistrate Ted Banstra held Medrano in custody without a bond. Banstra cited his reasons as being that Medrano was not only a danger to the community, but also a flight risk.
According to officials, the arrest and indictments were the result of a joint and coordinated effort involving ATF, Miami-Dade Police Department, City of Coral Gables Police Department, West Palm Beach Police Department, and the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department to name a few. Sloman stated, "The extraordinary cooperation by multiple law enforcement agencies resulted in the successful identification and arrest of a suspected serial robber."
Director Parker attributed the arrest to the cohesive working relationship between all of the law enforcement departments involved in the armed robbery investigations. Barrera mentioned that all of the citizens of Miami-Dade County deserve to live in a safe community and that ATF will continue to arrest violent offenders.
Director Parker attributed the arrest to the cohesive working relationship between all of the law enforcement departments involved in the armed robbery investigations. Barrera mentioned that all of the citizens of Miami-Dade County deserve to live in a safe community and that ATF will continue to arrest violent offenders.
Defendant Charged for Armed Robbery of South Florida Businesses, American Chronicle, August 10, 2009.
