Oakland, California - Nelson Enrike Ramirez was arraigned Wednesday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with robbery affecting interstate commerce, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.
The complaint charges Ramirez, 40 years old and from Union City, with a November 6, 2020, robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store on Washington Boulevard in Fremont. According to the complaint, Ramirez entered the store wearing a black or grey inside-out hooded sweatshirt, a black COVID-19-style mask, and a grey glove. He allegedly told the clerk he needed a soda from the soda machine and as the clerk approached to help, Ramirez pulled what appeared to be a black handgun from his pocket. He ordered the clerk to walk to the cash register, where the clerk gave Ramirez approximately $200 from the register. Ramirez looked in another register and then left the store.
The criminal complaint also alleges that between May and November 2020, Ramirez committed 21 commercial robberies and two attempted commercial robberies in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 22 of them taking place in October or November 2020. According to the complaint, Ramirez committed his robberies in Fremont, Newark, Hayward, Union City, Campbell, Milpitas, Mountain View, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale.
Ramirez made his initial appearance in federal court today before United States Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen. Ramirez remains in custody and his next scheduled appearance is on Friday, April 2, for status on his detention before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Illman.
A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and Ramirez is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Ramirez faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain to the defendant or twice the gross pecuniary loss inflicted on victims, plus restitution if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Noah Stern is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Fremont Police Department, the Union City Police Department, the Newark Police Department, the Hayward Police Department, the Campbell Police Department, the Milpitas Police Department, the Mountain View Police Department, the Los Altos Police Department, and the Sunnyvale Police Department.
