A judge handed down a prison term of 36 years and eight months on June 8 for the National City robber dubbed the Frustrated Fan Bandit, which was coined because he wore San Diego Chargers and Padres clothing to the holdups.
Ricardo Colmerno Reyes, 35, could have received a maximum term of 114 years in prison. San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Rogers ordered Reyes to pay $3,865.64 back to the stores he robbed during the five-week spree.
Reyes’s fiancée and others left the courtroom in tears, saying they thought he would receive a lesser sentence. His lawyer, Dan Tandon, asked for a sentencing delay, saying Reyes wanted to get married before he was sent to prison.
Reyes, of Tijuana, pleaded guilty to all charges April 5 just before he was to have a preliminary hearing. Tandon urged the judge to impose up to 20 years in prison and requested Rogers not to sentence him consecutively on every count.
The five-week robbery series began Dec. 9, 2011, with the robbery of the Super 8 Motel on Roosevelt Avenue in National City. It was followed by the hold-up of the Yum Yum Donuts shop on East Plaza Boulevard and two other stores in National City.
Rogers went over Reyes’s prior record, which included stabbing someone in the arm and leg during a fight in 2002.
Rogers also noted Reyes was sentenced in 2006 for a federal misdemeanor charge of smuggling undocumented aliens and petty theft when he was 23.
Deputy District Attorney Jim Koerber sought a longer term, saying one victim was pregnant when Reyes pointed a gun at her.
