BEVERLY HILLS—On March 17, James Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 22, a Colombian National in the country illegally plead guilty to federal charges for his part in an armed robbery. According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Sepulveda Salazar pleaded guilty to one count interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). He has been in custody since August 2024.
Sepulveda Salazar and a Venezuelan National, Jesus Eduardo Bryan Padron Rojos, 20, who is also in the country illegally were found to be in possession of a firearm once registered to the late LAPD officer, and Naval Reservist, Christopher Dorner. In 2013, following some unproven allegations from a suspect during a call, Dorner reportedly went on a killing spree and died in a standoff between himself and other law enforcement officers.
Sepulveda’s plea agreement indicates that he was the getaway driver in a August 7, 2024 armed robbery, the victim of whom was identified by the courts as, “T.A.”
The following information came directly from the DOJ press release:
“On that date during dinnertime, two unidentified robbers held the victim at gunpoint inside the patio of ‘THE Blvd,’ a restaurant located within the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The robbers stole a Patek Philippe Nautilus wristwatch from T.A. at gunpoint. T.A. reported that his watch was valued at approximately $1 million.”
Sepulveda and his co-defendant, Jesus Eduardo Bryan Padron Rojas, 20, an illegal alien from Venezuela, cased the area two day before the robbery trying to find T.A.’s watch, which they and their co-conspirators valued at $1.3 million.
The crew coincidentally stumbled upon another victim walking in Beverly Hills wearing a $30,000 Rolex wristwatch. A member of Sepulveda’s crew stole that wristwatch at gunpoint.
United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a July 14 sentencing hearing at which time Sepulveda will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Criminal charges are still pending against Padron.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the Blythe (California) Police Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this matter.”
By Sharon