A Washington County judge has ordered a 23-year-old man to serve 135 months in prison for a string of armed robberies that terrorized workers at Asian-owned massage businesses in Tigard and Tualatin.
The conviction caps a monthslong investigation into what officials describe as coordinated, premeditated hits on multiple storefronts in Washington County that left victims rattled but ultimately helped prosecutors build a detailed case.
On May 7, 2026, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Janelle Wipper found Jose Manuel Escobar De Loera guilty of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree theft, and one count of second-degree theft. Judge Wipper later imposed a 135-month prison sentence, according to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. Deputy District Attorneys Carlos Catibayan and Nolan Hill prosecuted the case.
How investigators say the group operated
Prosecutors say Escobar De Loera did not act alone. According to court findings, he teamed up with accomplices in a two-step robbery setup that might sound like a movie script if it were not playing out in real businesses.
As reported by KPTV, investigators say Escobar De Loera would walk into Asian-owned massage businesses posing as a customer. Once inside, his masked and armed partners would follow, threaten employees, and demand cash and cell phones. Officials told investigators the robberies were anything but impulsive, with suspects allegedly scouting and mapping out multiple locations before deciding when to strike.
Arrest and evidence that tied him to the crimes
The spree began to unravel on December 16, 2025. During one robbery, employees managed to escape and flag down a passing driver, who helped detain Escobar De Loera at the scene. Investigators say he was found holding a business security box and was seen tossing stolen cash and phones into a nearby creek as he tried to distance himself from the evidence.
Phone records, surveillance video, and victim testimony eventually connected him to the wider pattern of robberies, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office says.
Broader enforcement effort in Washington County
Authorities say Escobar De Loera’s case is part of a larger push to crack down on organized criminal activity involving illicit massage businesses in Washington County.
The Oregon Department of Justice’s SPIRE program has placed investigators within local law enforcement agencies and helped serve warrants at suspected operations in the county, seizing cash and connecting potential victims with services, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.
Escobar De Loera will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence. In its media release, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office praised the work of Tigard and Tualatin police and credited the victims’ cooperation with helping secure the conviction.
