Prison terms of 22 and 16 years have been handed down to two men who robbed an El Cajon restaurant and other stores in which the bandits wore stolen military clothing.
David Luis Magana, 28, got 22 years from San Diego Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis. She sentenced Joseph Everett Olmos, 25, to 16 years.
Both men held up the Sombrero Mexican restaurant, at 1215 W. Main Street, in which Magana fired a handgun at one employee on March 3, 2016.
Prison terms of 22 and 16 years have been handed down to two men who robbed an El Cajon restaurant and other stores in which the bandits wore stolen military clothing.
David Luis Magana, 28, got 22 years from San Diego Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis. She sentenced Joseph Everett Olmos, 25, to 16 years.
Both men held up the Sombrero Mexican restaurant, at 1215 W. Main Street, in which Magana fired a handgun at one employee on March 3, 2016.
The military clothing was stolen from a shed in the backyard of a La Mesa residence. Deputy District Attorney Jim Koerber said the clothing used in the robberies caused police to nickname them the “Stolen Valor Bandits.”
Lewis ordered both San Diego men to pay $1,848 in restitution to not only the El Cajon restaurant but to a National City shoe store and a 7-Eleven store in San Diego.
Both men received credit for already serving 839 days in jail since their arrests in 2016. They were also fined $10,000.
Magana pleaded guilty to nine counts of robbery, and four counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. He could have received a maximum 38-year term.
Olmos pleaded guilty to eight robberies, two conspiracy counts, auto theft, and evading police officers. Olmos could have received a maximum 21 years and eight months, according to court records.
A co-defendant, Jonathon Esquivel, 28, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2017. Esquivel pleaded guilty to several hold-ups.
Smuggler sentenced for injuring border patrol agent
An alien smuggler who crashed through the Pine Valley checkpoint and seriously injured a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
The 2 1/2 year sentence was handed down to Jorge Garcia-Osornio, 28, by a U.S. District Court judge in San Diego.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin McDonald recommended a 5-year prison term while his attorney, Sandra Hourani, urged a 2-year sentence.
“This defendant had no regard for the safety of his passengers, other drivers on the freeway or agents at the checkpoint,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. “It’s a miracle no one died in this incident. Smugglers operated in a world where immigrants are just dollar signs, not people.”
Garcia-Osornio, who is from Michoacan, Mexico, pleaded guilty to transportation of undocumented workers. He was not in the U.S. legally himself and he will be deported after he finishes his term.
The incident occurred on Nov. 14, 2017 at 10:26 a.m. after Garcia-Osornio picked up two undocumented immigrants who hid on the floor of his vehicle as it approached the checkpoint.
His attorney wrote that this was the first time Garcia-Osornio had ever committed alien smuggling, and he panicked as he was approached the Pine Valley station.
He did not stop and drove though, hitting the stop sign in the middle of the lane which then broke into pieces and struck an agent.
Border Patrol agents gave chase and he reached a speed of 100 mph in trying to get away. After three and a half miles, Garcia-Osornio exited the freeway and crashed into a hillside.
He ran off, but agents found Garcia-Osornio was found hiding in a nearby carport. The two aliens were also arrested with one telling agents he “feared for his life” during the chase.
Garcia-Osornio was supposed to receive between $1,400 to $2,000 for the job.
“Let this sentencing serve as a reminder that there will be severe consequences for those that wish to do our country harm,” said Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott. “In committing his criminal act, Garcia-Osornio not only placed the lives of those he smuggled in grave danger, but seriously injured a Border Patrol agent in the process.”
