Delano Man Indicted For Robbing Buffalo McDonald’s

MINNEAPOLIS—A federal indictment unsealed yesterday charges a 34-year-old Delano man in connection with the April 24, 2013, robbery of a McDonald’s in Buffalo. Matthew Dillon Sisneros was charged with one count of interference with commerce by robbery, pursuant to the Hobbs Act, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. On June 5, 2013, the indictment was unsealed following the defendant’s initial appearance in federal court.

The indictment alleges that on April 24, 2013, Sisneros took an undisclosed amount of money from the restaurant and threatened violence against the employees with a firearm. It also alleges that on April 24, Sisneros possessed a 12-gauge, semi-automatic, sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number. The shotgun, which had a barrel length of less than 18 inches and an overall length of less than 26 inches, was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.

Because he is a felon, Sisneros, also known as Matthew Dylan Sisneros, is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time. He was previously convicted in Hennepin County for aggravated robbery (2000) and offering a forged check (2001).

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, allows federal prosecutors to prosecute individuals who commit armed robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce.

If convicted, Sisneros faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the robbery count, a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and a potential maximum penalty of ten years on each of the other two counts. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with cooperation from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie E. Allyn and Laura M. Provinzino.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.