Phillip Johnson

Introduction

Phillip Johnson is a 22-year-old man from Cocoa Beach, Florida, who was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in the armed robbery of a nightclub near Ybor City in Tampa, during which he shot the club’s manager in the face . Johnson was one of five Cocoa Beach residents sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti for the February 1, 2025 robbery, announced by U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe on October 22, 2026 . He was the gunman: according to evidence presented at sentencing, he raised a rifle and shot the manager before the man could react, and the bullet shattered the victim’s nose, exited near his right eye, and cost the victim the eye entirely .

Background Information

Johnson was first charged by criminal complaint in March 2025 with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, in the Middle District of Florida . According to the complaint, during the early morning hours of February 1, 2025, three individuals traveled from Brevard County to Tampa, entered the Dreams Club near Ybor City wearing all-black clothing and ski masks and armed with rifles and handguns, demanded money from the victim, and Johnson ultimately shot the victim in the face . The case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the FBI, with assistance from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Cocoa Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diego F. Novaes and Lindsey Schmidt .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for an armed robbery in which he shot the nightclub manager in the face.

According to evidence presented at sentencing, Johnson, Sema-J De-Andre Brothers, Na’Quezz Mack, and Derrick Worthington traveled from Brevard County to Tampa in two vehicles, concealed their license plates from surveillance cameras, surveilled the business, and waited outside for the crowd to thin before striking in the early morning hours of February 1, 2025 . Johnson, Brothers, and Mack entered the nightclub while Worthington kept lookout; the three wore dark clothing, hooded sweatshirts, masks, and gloves, and Johnson carried a rifle while Brothers and Mack carried handguns . Inside, they took control of the business through violence and intimidation, ordering bartenders to hand over cash, purses and cellphones, then moved toward the rear in search of more money . There they encountered the nightclub’s manager, and before he could react or defend himself, Johnson raised his rifle and shot him in the face; the men stole the club’s cash proceeds, covered in the victim’s blood, and fled back to Brevard County . The bullet entered the left side of the victim’s face, shattered his nose, and exited near his right eye — the victim ultimately lost the eye entirely .

A fifth man, Courtenay Smith, did not travel to Tampa but played an active role in planning, preparing and supplying items for the robbery; all five had planned it at Smith’s home, and returned there afterward to divide the proceeds .

Public Reaction and Consequences

Evidence showed members of the conspiracy believed they had “killed someone,” and expressed confidence that law enforcement would never identify them because they were all from Cocoa Beach, roughly 100 miles from the crime scene . The men then tried to destroy the evidence — throwing cellphones over a bridge, burning their clothing, and using bleach to clean the victim’s blood from their vehicles . The identification and sentencing of all five men closed that assumption: Smith received 18 years and 4 months, Johnson 15 years, Brothers and Mack each more than 14 years, and Worthington 13 years and 10 months .

Current Status

Johnson, 22, is serving a 15-year federal prison sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti in the Middle District of Florida . His four co-participants in the Cocoa Beach robbery crew were sentenced alongside him in October 2026 . The complaint’s firearm count carried a minimum of 10 years up to life if convicted on all counts; the 15-year sentence falls within that exposure .

Impact on Their Career/Life

The sentencing ends the robbery crew’s belief that distance guaranteed anonymity: every member of the five-man Cocoa Beach group received federal prison terms ranging from nearly 14 to more than 18 years . For Johnson, whose rifle fire permanently blinded the club manager in one eye, the 15-year term reflects the shooting at the center of the case . The U.S. Attorney’s Office documented the crew’s cleanup efforts — cellphones over a bridge, burned clothing, bleach-scrubbed vehicles — as evidence of consciousness of guilt in publicizing the sentencings .

Sources

• “Cocoa Man Who Drove Across The State To Commit Armed Robbery In Tampa And Shot Employee In The Face Charged” — U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida / justice.gov, March 2025: source
• “Five Individuals Who Drove Across the State to Commit Armed Robbery, and Who Shot Employee in the Face, Sentenced to Federal Prison” — USAO Middle District of Florida via Public Technologies (PUBT), October 2026: source