Two South Gate men were charged Friday after they were accused of targeting gamblers at Southern California casinos and ambushing them on the local freeways to steal their winnings, federal authorities announced Friday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged Juan Gonzalez and Dereck Lopez visited local casinos, using fake names, and befriended gamblers who appeared to win or have a lot of chips. Then, they followed their victims out of the casinos and ambushed them on the freeways before using weapons to smash the victim’s car windows and demand money, the Justice Department said.
On a busy nights, the two men and their conspirators would strike three casino, stealing as much as $130,000.
Federal investigators believed the men committed the crimes on at least 15 different occasions.
“Before one incident, Lopez is seen on casino surveillance video celebrating a gambling victory with a victim he was scouting, including high-fiving the victim after the win,” according to court documents. Authorities claimed the suspects stole $21,000 in cash from the female victim.
Gonzalez, 22, and Lopez, 21, faced 10 counts of felony charges, including multiple counts of interference and attempted interference with commerce by robbery.
Lopez, who was convicted in November 2023 of grand theft in San Bernardino County, faced facing an additional charge as the felon was not legally allowed to have firearms and ammunition. Investigators said the man had three firearms and over 30 rounds of ammunition at his home when they investigated his home in December 2023, just a month after his grand theft conviction.
If convicted of all charges, each man would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
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