Mastermind of International Diamond Center Robbery Sentenced

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell yesterday sentenced Bryan Bobby Beaudoin (25, Orlando) to 11 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit robbery and using a firearm in furtherance of the armed robbery.  The Court also ordered Beaudoin to forfeit $6,277, which represents the proceeds from the sale of stolen jewelry and the firearm used in the robbery.  He pleaded guilty on July 31, 2014.

According to court documents, on November 22, 2013, Clyde Bernard Johnson and Anthony Mina Wahba entered the International Diamond Center in Tampa, concealing their identities with sunglasses and hats. Johnson brandished a black 9mm pistol and took control of the store, while Wahba took a hammer and went directly to the glass display cases containing expensive watches, loose diamonds, and diamond rings. Wahba shattered the glass cases with the hammer and retrieved numerous items of jewelry, with an approximate retail value of $2.1 million. They also stole some of the victim-employees’ wallets. Before the pair fleeing the store, Johnson fired a shot into the floor near the counter.

Beaudoin, who had conducted surveillance on the store earlier that day, planned the robbery and gave instructions to Johnson and Wahba. He also provided Johnson with the firearm used in the robbery. Beaudoin waited at a nearby location during the robbery, and then later met with Johnson and Wahba to split the proceeds. As the three were traveling back to the Orlando area, they stopped at a gas station and used one of the victim-employee’s stolen credit cards to purchase fuel. All three men were captured on the gas station’s surveillance videotape. When law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Beaudoin, he fled, but he was ultimately apprehended after a car chase through the Orlando area.

Johnson and Wahba previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the armed robbery and are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.

This case is a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to combat violent crime in communities.