Second Man Indicted For Series Of Robberies In Polk, Marion, And Hillsborough Counties

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Ron Yarde (23, Hillsborough) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. If convicted, Yarde faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Yarde is the second individual charged in connection with these offenses. His alleged accomplice, Malcolm Green, was indicted on September 12, 2024, and is currently pending trial. If convicted, Yarde faces a minimum sentence of seven years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to court documents, between May 27 and July 27, 2024, Yarde, Green, and one other co-conspirator committed a series of robberies in Brooksville, Ocala, and Tampa, robbing a convenience store, a drug store, a gas station and two retail stores. At the time he committed these robberies, Yarde was on state probation for various offenses, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, burglary, grand theft, and carrying a concealed firearm.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.