A string of armed robberies perpetrated by an Oxnard man has culminated in federal charges, sending ripples of concern through the Ventura County communities. Oscar Silva, 30, allegedly held up food vendors and local stores with a firearm between November 6 and November 23, now facing a Hobbs Act robbery charge with a stiff potential sentence of up to 20 years behind bars, the U.S. Attorney’s Office declared.
After being nabbed by local authorities on December 7, Silva was transferred to federal lockup this Tuesday, awaiting an arraignment that is set for January 22. With a focus trained on the food truck heist in Oxnard, the federal complaint also snares Silva in allegations of knocking over a smoke shop and a convenience store, and making off with a pedestrian’s belongings in Ventura.
Silva's alleged robbery spree didn’t stop at threats and theft. The complaint accuses him of further crimes that he later used stolen credit and debit cards from a woman’s purse, for a shopping spree worth hundreds.
The Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, a team comprising FBI agents and local police, spearheaded the investigation into Silva's nefarious activities. Assistant United States Attorney Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section will be taking Silva to task before the court.
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