The final two defendants involved in the robbery of El Hipopótamo Restaurant, which led to the death of 15-year-old Jesús Francisco Pérez, were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Pedro A. Delgado-Hernández. Basilio Matías-Fajardo received a 21-year prison sentence and a five-year supervised release term. He was found guilty on August 12, 2024, for conspiracy to interfere with commerce through robbery and related charges.
Luis Cabán-Nieves was sentenced to 11 years in prison and will also serve a five-year supervised release for his role in the crime. The previous day, Geofley Jomar Pérez received a sentence of 31 years and nine months, while Edwin Peña-Valdéz was sentenced to eight years and six months, both with additional supervised release terms.
Earlier this week, Jospe Jomar Santos-Mercado was given a sentence of 24 years and three months, and Luis Aulet-Maldonado received a sentence of 26 years and three months. Both sentences include five-year supervised releases.
Court documents reveal that the defendants orchestrated an armed robbery at El Hipopótamo restaurant where three victims were kidnapped and Pérez was fatally shot.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow from the District of Puerto Rico and Joseph González from the FBI San Juan Field Office announced these outcomes. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linet Suárez and Julian Radzinschi from the Violent Crime Division.
