Two Ventura men were sentenced to prison this week in connection with a series of robberies at a taco truck, a tobacconist, a convenience store and a woman held at gunpoint.
Oscar Aguirre Silva, 31, and Edward Donaldo Ramirez Martinez, 28, were convicted on federal charges for the crimes committed between November and December of last year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
On November 6, 2023, Silva violently extorted money from a taco truck vendor in the city of Oxnard.
“The victims in this case were individuals who were trying to make money running a food truck when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint,” District Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement from his office.
Four days after he hit the taco truck, Silva robbed a woman at gunpoint while Martinez acted as the getaway driver. Silva stole the woman’s iPhone along with her purse, which contained her debit card and another man’s debit card. The two men then went to a Walmart store in Ventura, where they used the stolen cards to spend $524 on groceries.
Silva then joined forces with a third accomplice, 30-year-old David Ray Reyes of Ventura, who attempted to use the stolen cards to purchase items at a tobacco store in Oxnard.
Later that month, on November 25 and 26, Silva robbed a tobacco store in Oxnard and a convenience store, also located in the city.
The latest crime among the men was Martinez’s illegal possession of ammunition as a criminal. He was convicted of a felony count of carrying a loaded firearm in February 2020.
On Dec. 2, prosecutors said, he was in possession of a “ghost gun,” which has no serial number and therefore cannot be traced by authorities. The weapon contained four rounds of ammunition.
After pleading guilty on April 25, Martinez was sentenced to 4½ years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,597 in restitution for charges of aggravated identity fraud and felon in possession of ammunition.
In Silva’s case, a judge sentenced him to six years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $2,941 in restitution.
He was convicted of charges including one count of interference with commerce by racketeering (Hobbs Act), two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), three counts of bank fraud, two counts of attempted bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He also pleaded guilty on April 25.
Reyes was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in March to one count of attempted bank fraud, one count of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
