A Long Beach ex-con who prosecutors say helped run an armed robbery crew that terrorized small shops across Southeast L.A. County is set to learn his fate Wednesday in federal court, with the government pushing for a 17-year, six-month prison term.
Authorities say the weeklong spree ended in tragedy on Oct. 9, 2023, when the suspects’ getaway SUV crashed in the South Gate area while fleeing law enforcement, killing a 34-year-old motorist and injuring another driver.
Kaelenn Maea, 29, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to three federal charges: conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, and possession, brandishing and discharging a short-barreled rifle during a violent crime. In sentencing papers, prosecutors say Maea pointed the rifle at store employees and customers and once fired it into the air during the holdups, according to MyNewsLA.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Maea was part of a three-man crew that hit small businesses in Downey, Compton and South El Monte between Sept. 22 and Sept. 29, 2023. Prosecutors say the robbers grabbed cash drawers while one member used a short-style rifle to keep clerks in line.
Investigators say the getaway vehicle, a stolen Range Rover, was later spotted by deputies in the South Gate area. When law enforcement tried to stop it, the SUV allegedly sped off and slammed into another car. One suspect was found hiding in a trash can nearby, and investigators say they recovered clothing, identification and a cellphone that tied Maea to the crimes, according to the federal complaint.
Two alleged accomplices have already admitted guilt. Court records show that Mathew Salanoa pleaded guilty and received a sentence of four years and one month. The other co-defendant, Salagi Iakopo, has also pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced in August in downtown Los Angeles.
Maea is not a stranger to federal court. Records cited by prosecutors show that he has a prior federal conviction stemming from a January 2016 home-invasion robbery in which his crew allegedly crashed a getaway car and made off with about $299, a history the government points to in its current sentencing memo, per MyNewsLA.
What the Charges Carry
The robbery counts fall under the Hobbs Act, a federal statute that covers robberies affecting interstate commerce and allows for sentences of up to 20 years in prison, according to the Legal Information Institute. On top of that, a separate firearm enhancement under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) requires mandatory, back-to-back prison time when a gun is used or carried during a crime of violence.
Those mandatory minimums jump if prosecutors prove the weapon was brandished, discharged, or was a short-barreled rifle. The U.S. Code outlines how those penalties stack and the specific minimums that apply.
Next in Court
Maea is scheduled to appear at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles for sentencing, where prosecutors will formally argue for the 17½-year term and defense attorneys will ask the judge to go lower.
The judge will weigh the federal sentencing guidelines, Maea’s criminal history, and arguments from both sides, along with a presentence report, legal briefs and any victim impact statements, before deciding whether to accept, reduce or increase the government’s recommended sentence.
Victim Impact and Investigation
Victims from the robbed businesses, along with relatives of the driver killed in the October 2023 crash, are eligible to submit impact statements describing how the crimes upended their lives.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the investigation was led by the FBI, with help from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and several local police agencies. The upcoming sentencing will resolve the federal case, but local authorities may still pursue or maintain separate matters connected to the deadly crash that ended the crew’s flight from law enforcement.
