Two weeks after a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale heard how a Lyft ride turned into a nightmare trip south, jurors convicted Stevenson Charles, a federal inmate already serving a life sentence, for his role in the violent kidnapping of a rideshare driver after he slipped out of Georgia custody, officials said. Prosecutors say Charles and two other inmates forced the driver into the backseat, looped a rope around her neck and threatened to kill her as they pushed toward South Florida. The case was investigated by the FBI's Miami Field Office and prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida.
Federal jury convicts on multiple counts
A Fort Lauderdale jury found Charles guilty of kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Prosecutors said those convictions bring serious exposure: the kidnapping counts each carry potential life sentences, and the felon-in-possession charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years if the court finds that career-criminal enhancements apply.
The escape and the abduction
Authorities say Charles and two other men slipped out of the DeKalb County jail during a routine security check on Dec. 22, 2025, then pulled up a rideshare app and used it to commandeer a Lyft driver for a trip toward South Florida, according to The Associated Press. Court filings and agent affidavits say the driver was bound, threatened with violence and forced to provide banking access that the group used to secure a short-term rental in Miramar, Florida.
How officers tracked them down
Investigators traced the victim’s car using license-plate readers in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, then followed it to the Miramar rental, where agents rescued the driver and found one of the suspects, according to WSB-TV. The station, citing court documents, reported that Charles was later spotted behind the wheel of the vehicle, ran off when officers tried to stop him and ditched a handgun before he was taken into custody.
Prosecution and next steps
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Maultasch and Breezye Telfair are leading the prosecution, and co-defendants Naod Yohannes and Yusuf Minor are set to go before a jury on March 30, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Officials said the FBI’s Miami Field Office spearheaded the investigation, with support from FBI Atlanta, the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement partners, and FBI Miami later posted an update on X highlighting the conviction.
Local context and prior coverage
Hoodline previously covered the case at the indictment stage and related Miami-area charges; see earlier Miami indictment coverage for background. The jury’s verdict marks a major turn in a saga that began with a December jail escape and a cross-state manhunt.
