Tampa man disguised as utility worker indicted for gunpoint robbery
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Two Florida men have been charged after one of them posed as a utility worker, robbed a local family at gunpoint and bound the victims, including a 13-year-old boy, with zip ties, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Jay El Wilburn, 47, and Alvaughn Parker, 27, both of Tampa, face a number of federal charges, including conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery (a federal law that prohibits robberies affecting interstate commerce) as well as robbery, use of a firearm during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the indictment, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to an armed robbery at an apartment in Tampa on Jan. 20.
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Federal prosecutors said 47-year-old Jay El Wilburn dressed as a utility worker, robbed and zip-tied a family during a home invasion robbery, and another defendant, 27-year-old Alvaughn Parker, was seen dressed as a utility worker. (Ministry of Justice)
Wilburn allegedly pretended to be a public service employee by wearing a hard hat and reflective vest to enter the apartment where a man, a woman and a 13-year-old boy lived.
When allowed inside, Wilburn brandished his Taurus PT58S .380-caliber pistol. Federal prosecutors said the attacker grabbed the woman by the back of her neck and put the gun to her stomach.
He then forced him to tie both the man’s and the young boy’s hands behind their backs with zip ties. After being restrained, Parker entered the home wearing a face mask, large sunglasses and dressed in all black.
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Jay El Wilburn, 47, has been charged with several federal crimes stemming from the home burglary, the Department of Justice said. (Ministry of Justice)
The couple stole approximately $15,000 in cash, controlled substances, three firearms, approximately two ounces of marijuana and jewelry physically taken from one of the victims before fleeing the scene.
Using security footage from nearby buildings, license plate readers and other investigative methods, investigators linked the two suspects to the robbery.
On February 2, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a federal search warrant at Wilburn’s home, where they seized the loaded firearm used in the robbery.
NYPD officers equipped with zip handcuffs stand in Manhattan. (Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Wilburn has prior felony convictions, including auto theft and use of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, which legally prohibits him from possessing a firearm.
He also previously served a federal prison sentence for using a firearm during a violent crime.
