ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man who robbed five Central Florida convenience stores over the course of a month is now headed to federal prison.
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According to court documents, 29-year-old Geoffrey Gaston committed all five robberies during the early-morning hours at 7-Eleven stores between September 12 and October 12 in 2022.
The first robbery occurred at 4:30 a.m. on September 12, 2022, when Gaston entered a 7-Eleven on State Road 535 dressed in all black and wearing gloves. He brandished what appeared to be a handgun at the cashier and fled with all the money in the cash drawer.
Records show investigators later found evidence that Gaston had been searching “realistic toy gun” on the internet in the weeks leading up to the first robbery.
Two weeks later, again at approximately 4:30 a.m., Gaston robbed the 7-Eleven on Destiny Road in Altamonte Springs. Like the first robbery, he wore all black and displayed what appeared to be a gun before leaving the store with $73.
Just 30 minutes later that same morning, Gaston robbed another 7-Eleven on Red Bug Lake Road in Oviedo, using the same methods and getting away with $300.
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Investigators say Gaston returned to the Orlando area for the fourth robbery. Just before 4 a.m. on October 5, he entered the 7-Eleven on W. Smith Street, again dressed in all black, and brandished an apparent gun at the cashier then left with another $100.
The robbery spree ended a month after it began on Oct. 12 when Gaston robbed the same 7-Eleven on State Road 535 that he robbed a month earlier. As in the previous cases, Gaston entered the store at approximately 4:45 a.m., showed the cashier his weapon and demanded the money from the cash drawer, leaving with $350.
Investigators used surveillance video from around the stores to identify the suspect’s vehicle, a Red Dodge Caliber registered to Gaston.
Orlando man who committed 5 armed robberies gets 7 yrs in federal prison. #PSNMDFL @FBITampa @OrlandoPolice @OrangeCoSheriff @SeminoleSO https://t.co/5X0JkCEHli
— USAO Middle Florida (@USAO_MDFL) February 12, 2024
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On October 17th, 2022, Gaston was arrested at the 7-Eleven store where he worked himself. He was officially indicted in federal court in March of 2023 and entered a guilty plea on November 16.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. sentenced Gaston to seven years in federal prison for all five robberies. Gaston was also ordered to turn over the $1,323 stolen in the robberies as well as $517 found in his car when he was arrested.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
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