Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, a 27-year-old from Wisconsin, has been sentenced to consecutive life terms in federal prison following his convictions on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, robbery interfering with commerce, conspiring to kill individuals in a foreign country, and violating the Neutrality Act.
He has also been ordered to pay $10,886 in restitution to the victims’ families. A jury found Zwiefelhofer guilty on March 8, 2024.
Testimony at the trial revealed that on April 10, 2018, two individuals, Serafin Lorenzo Jr. and Deana K. Lorenzo., were found dead in Estero, Florida, with multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation showed that the couple had traveled from Brooksville, Florida, to purchase firearms listed for sale on Armslist. Zwiefelhofer was identified as one of the individuals who murdered the couple during an armed robbery of the $3,000 they intended to use for the purchase.
Zwiefelhofer, who had previously fought in Ukraine in 2017 after going AWOL from the U.S. Army, committed the robbery to fund his travel to Venezuela, where he planned to fight against the government.
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Zwiefelhofer’s co-defendant, Craig Lang, is awaiting trial.
“There’s no question that Zwiefelhofer belongs behind bars, and his life sentence guarantees that will happen. When it comes to tackling the violent crime threat, our model is to work together with our state and local law enforcement partners to maximize impact, and this case highlights those efforts with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor, FBI Tampa Division. “We will stop at nothing to protect our communities from these threats.”
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“In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, no stone was left unturned in the investigation and federal prosecution of this case,” stated U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “This defendant committed heinous crimes, and justice was served.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and Michael V. Leeman.
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