Federal Jury Convicts Men of Las Vegas Home Invasion Robbery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 20, 2013 |
LAS VEGAS, NV—Following a nine-day jury trial, a federal jury has convicted two Arizona men of committing a home invasion robbery in North Las Vegas, Nevada during May 2012, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Joseph Andrade, 19, and Julian Gaytan, 20, both of Phoenix, Arizona, were convicted this afternoon of one count of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in furtherance of racketeering activity, two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of interstate travel in aid of racketeering activity.
They are scheduled to be sentenced on December 19, 2013 and face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years in prison on the interstate travel charge, and at least 32 consecutive years in prison on the brandishing charges, as well as fines of up to $1 million.
“This successful prosecution was part of our expanded Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) program which focuses on violent robberies and other crimes involving the use of firearms by recidivist felons,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “This case should serve notice that persons who commit such violent criminal acts will be prosecuted, and when convicted, they will face the prospects of serving very lengthy prison sentences. I would like to thank our prosecution team and law enforcement partners for taking these violent criminals off our streets.”
According to the court records and evidence introduced at trial, on Saturday, May 19, 2012, Andrade, Gaytan, and two co-defendants, Perla Ramirez, 22, and David Duran, 30, also both from Phoenix, Arizona, drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas with the intent to commit a home invasion robbery at a designated residence in North Las Vegas. The defendants drove to the residence and caused one of the occupants to open the front door. The defendants entered the residence brandishing guns and ordered all seven of the occupants of the home to the floor. The defendants threatened to kill the occupants if they did not tell them where money and/or jewelry were located. The defendants ransacked the home in order to locate money or valuable property and stole cash, cellular telephones, jewelry, and other property before exiting the residence and either fleeing on foot or returning to their vehicle. North Las Vegas Police Officers were dispatched to the scene at approximately 10:30 p.m. following a call from the occupant of a home across the street where one of the female minor victims had run and advised that men had broken into her house with guns.
Defendants Andrade and Ramirez were arrested outside the residence immediately following the robbery. Gaytan was arrested in Phoenix about six weeks following the robbery, and Duran, who fled the scene, has not yet been arrested and is a fugitive.
Ramirez pleaded guilty on September 3, 2013 to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in furtherance of racketeering activity, and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5, 2013.
The investigation was conducted by the North Las Vegas Police Department and FBI, as part of the Safe Streets Task Force and PSN program. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cristina D. Silva and Phillip N. Smith, Jr.