A Florida man stole $7,000 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets from a gas station convenience store, then returned to the very same location less than two hours later and attempted – unsuccessfully – to cash in his winners, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by The Independent.
After equally unsuccessful second and third tries, suspect Justin Farley, 43, instead used a replica handgun to rob a nearby 7-Eleven, making off with $120 and a pack of Newport cigarettes, the affidavit states.
Under questioning by police, Farley allegedly confessed, telling officers that he simply “needed money.”
Farley is now facing one count of interference with commerce by threat or violence, a federal charge under the Hobbs Act, which prohibits “robbery or extortion” affecting interstate trade. He was indicted by a Tampa grand jury while already in custody on state charges over the same robbery spree, and was charged federally on Tuesday, court records show.
The 7-Eleven robbery made headlines at the time, but further details have not emerged until now.
Farley, who remains jailed, does not yet have an attorney listed on the federal docket, and was unable to be reached for comment.
On May 5, at 8:11 p.m., Farley pulled into a gas station in St. Petersburg and walked inside the onsite Circle K, according to the affidavit, which was sworn out by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He “engage[d] with a store employee,” before heading to an office in the rear of the store.
There, Farley “opened multiple cabinets and took scratch-off lottery tickets,” then left the Circle K at 8:28 p.m. and drove away in a grey Hyundai Elantra, the affidavit goes on, citing witness interviews and surveillance footage.
Some 40 minutes later, Farley showed up at an area 7-Eleven and tried to redeem the winning scratch-offs, to no avail, according to the affidavit. It says he was inside for less than a minute, then got back behind the wheel of the grey Hyundai and left.
At 10:11 p.m., the grey Hyundai returned to the Circle K, according to the affidavit. Farley got out and headed inside, it says, after which he “unsuccessfully attempted to cash the lottery tickets he previously stole.”
Defeated, Farley walked out about 10 minutes later and drove away, the affidavit continues. Roughly 10 minutes after that, the grey Hyundai appeared again outside the Circle K, and Farley exited the car and reentered the Circle K, the affidavit states. Once inside, Farley tried again to redeem his winning tickets, but again walked out penniless, the affidavit states.
At this point, an empty-handed Farley drove back to the 7-Eleven, where, at 11:48 p.m., he entered the store wearing a black mask, yellow shirt and black Nikes, jumped over the counter, and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the clerk, the affidavit alleges.
The clerk said that Farley, who was still unidentified at this point, “told her to open the cash register, to which she complied,” according to the affidavit.
“The suspect removed approximately $120 from the cash register and escorted the clerk to the back room,” the affidavit states. “Then, the suspect stole a pack of Newport cigarettes from behind the counter, climbed over the counter, and exited the store.”
Cops used license plate readers along the grey Hyundai’s getaway route to identify Farley as the vehicle’s registered owner, and the Circle K clerk positively ID’ed Farley as the one who stole the scratch-offs, according to the affidavit. It says that on May 6, the day after the scratcher theft and 7-Eleven robbery, police began tailing Farley.
Over the next two weeks, detectives continued surveilling Farley, sitting outside his apartment building and watching him leave home “wearing the same shoes, jeans and hat that he wore during the commission of the Circle K lottery ticket burglary,” the affidavit states.
On May 22, officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department pulled Farley over while he was driving the grey Hyundai, according to the affidavit. They arrested Farley on state charges of commercial burglary and grand theft, and called in the ATF. Together, the local police and ATF searched Farley’s car and apartment, finding the clothing, shoes and mask he wore during the 7-Eleven robbery, a replica Glock pistol, and an array of lottery scratcher ticketbooks stolen from the Circle K, the affidavit says.
During a recorded interview with law enforcement, Farley admitted to stealing the scratch-offs from Circle K and to holding up the 7-Eleven, according to the affidavit.
“Farley explained he needed money, entered the store and stole the items from the office near the bathroom area,” the affidavit states. “... Farley also admitted to committing the armed robbery at the 7-Eleven store on 4th Street in St. Petersburg, FL.”
Farley has a significant criminal history, according to the affidavit, which lists past felony convictions for sale of cocaine (2003), possession of a controlled substance (2007), felon in possession of a firearm (2007), felon in possession of a firearm (2010), and possession of oxycodone (2010).
