Overview
- The men pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to one count under the Hobbs Act after admitting to 15 robberies and attempted robberies carried out from May to December 2023.
- Prosecutors say the pair used fake IDs to scout Los Angeles County casinos, followed winners as they left, then stopped victims on freeway onramps, smashed windows, brandished firearms and seized cash, chips and valuables.
- The group stole about $274,000 in cash, chips and items across multiple incidents, including a June 2023 robbery of $130,000 after victims left Parkwest Bicycle Casino and an Oct. 26, 2023 ambush of a Hustler Casino patron who had cashed out $11,000.
- Dereck Nathan Lopez admitted in his plea that agents found three firearms and roughly 30 rounds of ammunition at his home in December 2023 and that a November 2023 grand theft conviction barred him from possessing guns.
- The federal Hobbs Act charge lets prosecutors consolidate related robberies that affect commerce into a single count, the men face a statutory maximum of 20 years but have agreed to 14-year sentences, and authorities including the FBI and local agencies led the investigation.