Union City Man Sentenced To 4 Years In Federal Prison For Small Business Robberies

OAKLAND - Nelson Enrike Ramirez was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for multiple robberies of small stores and gas stations in East Bay and South Bay communities that affected interstate commerce, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Jon S. Tigar. 

Ramirez, 41, of Union City, California, was charged on December 1, 2021, by a federal information for the November 3, 2020, robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Campbell, California, and the November 6, 2020, robbery of a 7-Eleven in Fremont.

On April 22, 2022, Ramirez entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to those two robberies and admitted 21 others. In his plea agreement, Ramirez described that from May to November 2020, he committed or attempted 23 robberies of small businesses in the East and South Bay areas, including Fremont, Newark, Hayward, Union City, Campbell, Milpitas, Mountain View, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale. During the robberies and attempted robberies, he carried a black rubber replica semiautomatic firearm and brandished it, and sometimes pointed it, at store clerks when demanding money. Ramirez often apologized to the store employees, stating he needed money because he had a sick child at home – but in his plea agreement he admitted he lied. He does not have a child. 

Ramirez detailed two robberies in his plea agreement. On November 3, 2020, Ramirez entered a 7-Eleven convenience store in Campbell and asked the store clerk a question. When she approached, Ramirez told the clerk he needed money because his son was sick and insurance would not cover it. He pulled the black rubber replica firearm out of his pocket and held it at his side. He instructed the clerk to open the register, then walked behind the store’s counter with the clerk. Ramirez took approximately $1,500 from the open register and fled.

Ramirez also described in his plea agreement that three days later, on November 6, 2020, he walked into a 7-Eleven store in Fremont. He told the store clerk he needed a soda. When the clerk helped him, Ramirez pulled the replica firearm out of his pocket and told the clerk he needed money. He ordered the clerk to walk to the cash register. The clerk opened the register and handed Ramirez approximately $200. Ramirez forced the clerk to open a second cash register, but it was empty. Ramirez then left the store.

In addition to the 48 month sentence, United States District Judge Tigar ordered Ramirez to pay $9,192 in restitution and to serve a three year period of supervision when he leaves prison. Ramirez was in custody at his sentencing hearing and begins serving his sentence immediately. 

Noah Stern is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Karina Ruiz, 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.