TAMPA, Fla. – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Jeffrey L. Davis (22, Tampa) and Tyee Spike II (18, Tampa) with participating in ten armed robberies that occurred in Tampa, Fishhawk, and Riverview between October 13 and October 19, 2020. Davis and Spike are jointly charged with nine counts of committing robbery, nine counts of using a firearm in furtherance of robbery, and one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony. Spike is charged with an additional robbery, and with discharging his weapon during that robbery. If convicted on all counts, Davis faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 63 years, and up to life, in federal prison. Spike faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 88 years, and up to life, in federal prison.
Davis made his first appearance in federal court today. Spike is still in state custody.
An indictment 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.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.
