Albuquerque Felon Sentenced to Eleven and a Half Years for Robbery Spree Committed While on Supervised Release

ALBUQUERQUE – Vincent Steven Martinez, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 139 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on robbing four businesses involved in interstate commerce while on supervised release from an armed bank robbery conviction.  Martinez was sentenced to 121 months in prison for the robberies and an additional 18 months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. 

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III.

Martinez was arrested on Dec. 4, 2015, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Sept. 15, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M.  At the time, Martinez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted on aggravated battery, armed bank robbery and bank robbery charges.  The indictment subsequently was superseded on Jan. 14, 2016, to charge Martinez with violating the Hobbs Act on Sept. 12, 2015, by robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce.

On June 3, 2016, Martinez pled guilty to the Hobbs Act robbery charged in the superseding indictment as well as a felony information charging him with three additional Hobbs Act robberies.  In entering the guilty plea, Martinez admitted the following criminal conduct:

• On Aug. 14, 2015, Martinez entered a gas station located at 1715 Moon Street NE in Albuquerque, threatened the cashier with a handgun, and stole cash and cigarettes.

• On Sept. 5, 2015, Martinez entered the hotel located at 4501 Alameda Blvd. in Albuquerque, brandished a knife at a hotel employee, and demanded money.Martinez robbed the employee of cash and a camera.

• On Sept. 10, 2015, Martinez entered a hotel located at 5241 San Antonio Dr. in Albuquerque, brandished a gun at a hotel employee, and robbed the employee of cash.

• On Sept. 12, 2015, Martinez entered the Family Dollar at 7900 Second St. NW in Albuquerque, showed the cashier a gun, and demanded money.When Martinez grabbed money from the cash register, he dropped his wallet, which contained his driver’s license.

Martinez also admitted violating the terms of his supervised release on a prior felony conviction by using a controlled substance and possessing a firearm.  In admitting these violations, Martinez acknowledged that he was convicted on April 28, 2010, on an armed bank robbery charge and was sentenced to 71 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, which commenced on June 13, 2014.  Martinez admitted that in Dec. 2014, he submitted a urinalysis sample that tested positive for opioids because of his heroin use.  He also admitted failing to participate in an outpatient substance abuse program as required by the terms of his supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Shana B. Long prosecuted the case as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.  Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat and violent offenders, primarily based on their prior convictions, from counties with the highest violent crime rates under this initiative.