Springfield Man Pleads Guilty To Armed Robbery

BOSTON – A Springfield man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield in connection with an armed robbery of a convenience store and firearms charges.

Emilio Rivera, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of using a firearm in relation to crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2019.

On Nov. 14, 2018, Rivera and alleged co-defendant Alfredo Aldeco, 32, of Holyoke, robbed a clerk in a West Springfield convenience store at gunpoint. After forcibly taking cash and cigarettes from the clerk, Aldeco warned the clerk, “If you call the cops, I will come back and kill you.” When law enforcement later executed a search warrant on Rivera’s home, they found the firearm used in the robbery along with another firearm and ammunition. At the time, Rivera was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.

Aldeco has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The charges of interference with commerce by robbery and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. The West Springfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee, Northampton, and Springfield Police Departments and the Massachusetts State Police provided valuable assistance to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.