Tampa, Florida – Hornsby and both Spanns have been charged with racketeering conspiracy which, as the indictment alleges, relates to numerous violent, drug-trafficking, and economic crimes, committed in furtherance of a criminal enterprise called “Robles Park.” Hornsby and Kareem Spann have also been charged with committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and discharging firearms in aid of crimes of violence. All four defendants are charged with conspiring to commit fraud and identity theft, and with committing numerous substantive acts of fraud and identity theft.
If convicted on all counts, the defendants face the following maximum penalties:
- Hornsby: Life in prison
- Kareem Spann: Life in prison
- Tywon Spann: 79 years in prison
- Bentley: 29 years in prison
The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount that the defendants obtained or attempted to obtain from their offenses.
According to the indictment, “Robles Park” is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in acts involving murder, assault, intimidation, narcotics trafficking, access device fraud, identity theft, obstruction of justice, and other crimes. The indictment alleges that, among other acts of violence, Hornsby and Kareem Spann committed a shooting outside the Truth Lounge in Tampa, on July 19, 2020, and committed another shooting outside the International Plaza in Tampa on July 25, 2020.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Department of Labor. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
