Trio of Ventura County men sentenced for crime spree involving extortion, robbery, and identity theft
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – On Thursday, two Ventura County men were sentenced in connection with a crime spree last year involving the extortion of a taco truck operator, two robberies at local businesses, and the use of debit and credit cards taken at gunpoint.
A third Ventura County man was sentenced back in June of this year.
"The victims in this case were people just trying to make a living by operating a food truck when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Violent gun crime tears at the fabric of our society. Punishing those who engage in violent gun offenses is and will continue to be a priority for my office. Our community deserves no less."
Oscar Aguirre Silva of Ventura was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,941 in restitution stated the Department of Justice in a press release about the sentencing.
The 31-year-old Ventura man pleaded guilty on April 25 to one count of interference with commerce by extortion, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, three counts of bank fraud, two counts of attempted bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft shared the Department of Justice.
At a separate hearing the same day, co-defendant Edward Donaldo Ramirez Martinez of Ventura was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,597 shared the Department of Justice.
Ramirez Martinez, 28, of Ventura, pleaded guilty on April 25 to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition stated the Department of Justice.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Silva threatened violence to extort a taco truck vendor in Oxnard shared the Department of Justice.
Four days later, Silva robbed a woman at gunpoint and stole her iPhone and her purse which had a credit card and debit card in her name as well as a debit card in another person's name all while Ramirez Martinez served as the getaway driver explained the Department of Justice.
According to the Department of Justice, both men used the stolen cards to purchase $524 work of items from a Ventura Walmart.
Later, Silva and another co-defendant, 30-year-old Ventura man David Ray Reyes, used and attempted to use the stolen cards to purchase merchandise at an Oxnard smoke shop detailed the Department of Justice.
Reyes pleaded guilty on Mar. 6 of this year to one count of attempted bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft and on June 6, he was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison detailed the Department of Justice.
On Nov. 25, Silva robbed a smoke shop and on Nov. 26, he robbed a grocery outlet, both in Oxnard stated the Department of Justice.
On Dec. 2, 2023, Ramirez Martinez was in possession of an assault rifle that carried four rounds and did not have a serial number while under the influence of methamphetamine shared the Department of Justice.
Due to a February 2020 felony conviction for carrying a loaded firearm, Ramirez Martinez was not legally allowed to possess the unserialized, or ghost gun, rifle or ammunition explained the Department of Justice.
All three defendants remain in federal custody stated the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
