Three Plead Guilty to Robbery of Carolina Cashers

Contact Person: Jamie Schoen (864) 282-2100

Greenville, South Carolina---- Acting United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that yesterday Mark  Betancourt, age 31, of Greenville, SC; Juan Betancourt, age 23, of Greenville, SC; and Joseph Sansosti, age 23, of Simpsonville, SC, entered guilty pleas in federal court in Greenville, to one count Hobbs Act Robbery, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), one count Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and one count Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., of Greenville accepted the guilty pleas and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence reports which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Mark Betancourt, Juan Betancourt, and Joseph Sansosti robbed Carolina Cashers on May 23, 2015.  That morning, Joseph Sansosti and Juan Betancourt pushed their way into the business.  Sansosti then grabbed an employee, placing her in a headlock, and pressed a gun to her head.  Sansosti demanded money from the employee, which the robbers placed in a bag held by Juan Betancourt. The two men then ran out of the store to the getaway car, which was driven by Mark Betancourt. 

Acting United States Attorney Drake stated the maximum penalty for Hobbs Act Robbery and Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery is imprisonment for 20 years and/or a fine of $250,000.00, and the maximum penalty for Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence is imprisonment for not less than seven (7) years consecutive to any other sentence, up to a maximum of Life.

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen of the Greenville office is prosecuting the case.