RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A 25-year-old man was convicted of 28 felonies this afternoon for participating in a series of armed robberies across the Inland Valley.
Prosecutors believe Cruz Rodriguez Vasquez will face a prison sentence of at least 20 years as a result of his convictions, which were reached by a jury after six days of deliberations in West Valley Superior Court.
Prosecutors accused Vasquez and another man, 36-year-old Jose Antonio Rivera, of holding up 20 businesses in a five-month period in 2009.
Rivera was armed with a handgun during the robberies, while Vasquez was responsible for gathering cash and driving the getaway vehicle, according to prosecutors.
"(Vasquez's) job was to basically take the money from the register," said Deputy District Attorney Deborah Ploghaus.
Half the robberies were committed in Ontario, while other robberies occurred in Claremont, Pomona, Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, according to authorities.
Vasquez, of El Monte, was convicted of 22 counts of robbery and six counts of attempted robbery.
On Monday, a jury convicted Rivera of all 35 counts against him -- 28 counts of robbery and seven counts of attempted robbery.
The men are scheduled to be sentenced May 5 by Judge Shahla Sabet.
Ploghaus said Monday that Rivera will likely be sentenced to a prison term long enough to keep him in custody the rest of his life.
Vasquez and Rivera primarily targeted mobile phone stores such as Metro PCS, according to police.
They also targeted Islas Tropical Fruits in Ontario, Aloha Grill in Upland, a Chevron gas station in Claremont, Red Hill gas station in Rancho Cucamonga, and a Zap Wireless store in Upland.
The men, who met through work in Chino, stole on average about $700 from each store, with the highest yield being about $1,200, police said.
The men were arrested after committing a robbery on Oct. 8, 2009 in Upland. Both men then confessed to detectives.
"(Vasquez) told me he's been unemployed and he has a 20-year-old girlfriend he has a 5-year-old son with," Ontario police Detective Roger Planas testified during Vasquez's trial. "He has to help provide for the 5-year-old boy and the 20-year-old girlfriend, and he has bills to pay."