Henderson Man Sentenced To Over Six Years In Prison For Stealing Nearly $123,000 Worth Of Jewelry From Pawn Shop

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Henderson man who wore a “Jason”-style hockey mask during the robbery of a Las Vegas pawn shop and stole nearly $125,000 worth of jewelry was sentenced today to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson.

After a four-day jury trial in September 2017, Jessie Mendoza, 38, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of interference with commerce by robbery. United States District Judge Larry R. Hicks presided over the trial and sentencing hearing.

According to court documents and trial evidence, Mendoza helped coordinate the robbery of EZ Pawn located at 3010 South Valley View Blvd. in Las Vegas. On September 12, 2016, Mendoza entered the pawn store and smashed the jewelry case with a sledgehammer. Mendoza stood guard at the front door wearing a “Jason”-style hockey mask and threatened the victims by swearing and waiving a firearm. He and his co-conspirators stole $122,936.50 worth of high value rings, jewelry, watches, gems, and other property from display cases. Mendoza was later identified when his DNA was located on the hockey mask and other items of clothing he discarded after the robbery. Law enforcement recovered video surveillance of Mendoza dumping his disguise, and then fleeing with his co-defendants in a switch car.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cristina D. Silva and Kilby Macfadden prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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