Two Corpus Christi residents, Jonathan Stein, 20, and Alvaro Martinez, 21, have been sentenced for a series of aggravated robberies that took place over the Christmas holiday in 2024. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Both men pleaded guilty on August 4. U.S. District Judge Davis S. Morales sentenced Stein to 96 months in prison and Martinez to 68 months. Each will also serve three years of supervised release after completing their sentences.
At the sentencing hearing, additional evidence was presented about the robberies committed on Christmas Day and the following days. Judge Morales stated, "In handing down the sentences, Judge Morales noted the seriousness of the offenses and the fear and danger their actions caused the victims."
Between December 25 and 27, 2024, Stein and Martinez collaborated to rob three Stripes convenience stores in Corpus Christi. Surveillance footage from December 25 showed Stein entering a store on Airline Road wearing a red and grey ski mask while carrying a firearm with an attached drum magazine as he demanded money from a cashier.
About two days later, another Stripes location was robbed in a similar fashion. According to authorities, Martinez supplied the firearm and acted as getaway driver.
Investigators found a photograph of Martinez posing with a firearm and large amounts of cash; this weapon matched that used during the robberies. They also discovered inside his vehicle both the firearm and a red-and-black mask consistent with those seen in surveillance images.
Stein and Martinez were allowed to remain on bond until they report voluntarily to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with help from the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes such as these cases throughout its jurisdiction under authority from the U.S. Department of Justice (official website). The office works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners (official website) across its offices located in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville (official website), covering more than nine million people over 43 counties (official website).
