Opinion ID: 3061372
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Attempted Robbery of Gas Station Courier

Text: We first review the government’s trial evidence. Twin Oil Company (“Twin Oil”) owns 32 gas stations in Florida. John Cherico, Twin Oil’s money courier, ran a regular, twice-weekly pick-up from Twin Oil’s seven Sunoco gas stations in Broward County. The only person who knew Cherico’s route was his supervisor. The last gas station on Cherico’s route was at 7520 Pembroke Road. On August 25, 2009, Cherico retrieved $64,000 from the seven gas stations. On that date, due to a recent rash of burglaries, Pembroke Pines Detective Dean Soubasis was patrolling in the area of 7520 Pembroke Road in an unmarked car. Detective Soubasis saw a silver Volkswagen with a driver and a passenger parked across a sidewalk. Just before the Volkswagen pulled away, Detective Soubasis saw the passenger put on a pair of black gloves. Detective Soubasis followed the Volkswagen and, when it failed to stop at a stop sign, performed a traffic stop. Detective Soubasis issued the driver, Henry Wainwright, a citation. Detective Soubasis smelled marijuana coming from the car. Detective Soubasis asked Wainwright to exit the car, searched Wainwright 2 and found a small bag of marijuana and some rolling papers in Wainwright’s pocket. Wainwright’s passenger, Niegel Smith, admitted to Detective Soubasis that he and Wainwright were on their way to rob a money courier at a Sunoco gas station around the corner (i.e., 7520 Pembroke Drive). Smith indicated that he and Wainwright were waiting for a call from a third person, Defendant Richitelli, who was watching the gas station’s courier. Detective Soubasis arrested Wainwright and Smith. A search of Wainwright’s car uncovered a loaded firearm under the front passenger’s seat and some black gloves. Smith testified that, since November 2008, Defendant Richitelli had been receiving information about the money courier’s route from an unknown “inside person” who owed Defendant Richitelli money. Defendant Richitelli and Wainwright approached Smith on August 13, 2009, and asked him to help rob the money courier. Smith agreed. The three men decided to commit the robbery on August 29, 2009, because, according to the inside person, the courier collected more money when school was in session. A week beforehand, Richitelli, Smith and Wainwright began planning how to execute the robbery. Defendant Richitelli had a list of the courier’s stops, and the three men conducted surveillance of the courier as he drove his route. 3 According to their plan, Richitelli’s job during the robbery was to surveil the courier and let Smith and Wainwright know when the courier was headed to the last pick-up. Smith’s job was to approach the courier with the firearm and take the money from him and drive away in the courier’s car. Wainwright’s job was to drive Smith to the gas station and then meet Smith at a prearranged location after the robbery. The night before the planned robbery, Richitelli met with the inside person, who gave Richitelli information about the courier. The morning of the robbery, the three men met at Richitelli’s residence. Richitelli gave Smith a gun and some black gloves to use in the robbery. The gun was wrapped in a white towel to avoid fingerprints. Richitelli also gave Smith information about the courier’s route, appearance, car, gun and amount of money. Richitelli left in a Chrysler to go to the courier’s second-to-last stop to conduct surveillance. Wainwright and Smith left in the Volkswagen and circled the area around the last stop. Eventually, Wainwright parked on a sidewalk near the gas station to roll a marijuana cigarette. Richitelli called and said the courier was leaving the secondto-last pick-up. Wainwright drove the Volkswagen off the sidewalk and was heading toward the gas station when he was pulled over by law enforcement. After the car was stopped, Smith saw Richitelli’s Chrysler drive by. 4