A spree of armed robberies in Western Massachusetts has ended with a Holyoke man pleading guilty to various charges, including interference with commerce by robbery and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Alfredo Aldeco, 38, entered his plea in federal court in Springfield as announced by the Justice Department.
On the hook for nine convenience store heists dating back to 2018, Aldeco along with accomplice Emilio Rivera, menaced clerks at gunpoint — he warned one, "If you call the cops, I will come back and kill you" after a theft on November 14, 2018. According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the gun used in the series of robberies was later discovered in Rivera's home, in a bedroom occupied by Aldeco, who was already prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.
The robbery spree that has Aldeco facing serious time took hold of communities from Holyoke to Agawam over a two-week flurry that began on October 25, 2018. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni has penciled May 30, 2024, for sentencing. Aldeco's accomplice, Rivera, already got hit with a six-year prison stay last July, following by three years under the watchful eye of the law.
The stack of charges presents a grim prospect for Aldeco — up to 20 years for the robbery charge, a minimum of seven years for the firearms charge, and another decade on the table for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Each charge comes with a possible fine reaching a hefty $250,000, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, and Special Agent in Charge James M. Ferguson, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, laid down the case shored up by assistance from state and local police forces. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla is helming the prosecution charge.
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