A 28-year-old man who pleaded guilty to robbing a Central Florida T-Mobile store at gunpoint in 2019 will spend more than 10 years behind bars.
On Monday, July 15, U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron sentenced Sanford resident Cristian Manuel Rodriguez Nunez to 10 years and 5 months in federal prison for Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robbery incident.
Rodriguez Nunez pleaded guilty to the above charges on April 1, 2024.
According to court records, on August 10, 2019, Rodriguez Nunez and his co-defendants – Tauri Benjamin Rivas Nunez (Rivas Nunez), Victor Hugo Castillo Vallejo (Castillo Vallejo), and Luis Miguel Valdez Mendez (Valdez Mendez) – robbed a T-Mobile store located in Oviedo.
During the robbery, Rodriguez Nunez wore a face mask as he entered the store, and he pointed a firearm at one of the employees. He then forced the employee to open the store’s safe, and its contents consisting of “electronics and other merchandise” were placed into a trash bag.
While Rodriguez Nunez was with the employee, Rivas Nunez placed another employee into a chokehold before stealing their cellphone and money from the cash register.
Valdez Mendez searched through a customer’s purse before assisting Rivas Nunez with removing cash from the register.
Castillo Vallejo acted as the “lookout” and getaway driver. After the robbery was committed, Rodriguez Nunez, Rivas Nunez, and Valdez Mendez exited the store. They then entered a vehicle being driven by Castillo Vallejo, and the four individuals fled from the store.
Law enforcement was able to quickly locate three of the robbery suspects due to a tracking device that had been placed into the trash bag containing the stolen merchandise. Those three suspects – Valdez Mendez, Rivas Nunez, and Castillo Vallejo – were arrested, and approximately $20,000 in stolen electronics was recovered.
A firearm used in the robbery was also seized by law enforcement.
Prior to the arrival of law enforcement, Rodriguez Nunez fled from the area, and he remained a fugitive for several years. In October of 2023, he was located and apprehended by officers in New York.
In July of 2021, Castillo Vallejo pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison. That same month, Valdez Mendez also entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 60 months behind bars.
Rivas Nunez’s case went to trial, and a jury convicted him in May of 2021. Two months later, he was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sartoian.
In addition, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.