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Omar Feliciano-Estremera, 44, took a deal from the government rather than go to trial after accused robber Gabriel Lopez died.
Feliciano-Estremera pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Trenton on Tuesday, March 15, to three counts of robbery and one each of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the possession of a gun that was fired during one of the holdups, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
He and Lopez committed the robberies in May and June of 2019 at stores in Mercer and Union counties in New Jersey and in Bucks County, PA, Sellinger said.
Lopez "entered the businesses, brandished a handgun, and demanded money from the store clerks working the register," the U.S. attorney said.
Feliciano-Estremera drove the getaway minivan -- and in one instance picked up Lopez after he fired a handgun at passing witnesses, Sellinger said.
Police were tailing them when the pair robbed a Pantry One store in Hamilton Township. Both were arrested as Lopez ran toward the waiting minivan, which had been caught on camera during a previous holdup.
Lopez was carrying a Smith & Wesson handgun, authorities said at the time.
U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan scheduled sentencing for July 18. The gun possession plea alone carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole.
Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI in Newark with the investigation leading to the plea, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of his Criminal Division in Trenton.
He also thanked officers of the Hamilton Township, Trenton, Rahway, Morrisville, Bristol Township, and Lawrence Township police departments for their assistance.
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