Two Ventura County men were sentenced to prison on Aug. 8 for their involvement in a crime spree that included extorting a taco truck vendor and robbing two small businesses, authorities said.
Edward Donaldo Ramirez Martinez, 28, of Ventura was sentenced to four and a half years in federal prison. Ramirez was ordered to pay $1,597 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on April 25 to aggravated identity theft and being a felon with ammunition, prosecutors said.
The convictions are connected to crimes committed by Silva and Ramirez late last year.
On Nov. 6, Silva threatened violence to extort a taco truck vendor in Oxnard.
“The victims in this case were simply trying to make a living operating a food truck when they were allegedly robbed at gunpoint,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said
Four days later, he robbed a woman at gunpoint, stealing her iPhone and purse, which contained credit and debit cards. Ramirez served as the getaway driver for this robbery.
The pair then used the stolen cards to buy $524 in merchandise from a Walmart in Ventura. Silva also used the stolen cards to attempt purchases at an Oxnard smoke shop, according to prosecutors.
On Nov. 25 and 26, Silva robbed two more businesses in Oxnard—a smoke shop and a grocery outlet.
On Dec. 2, Ramirez, while under the influence of methamphetamine, was found in possession of a ghost gun and ammunition, despite being prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony conviction, prosecutors said.
Alongside Silva and Ramirez, a third defendant, David Ray Reyes, 30, of Ventura was sentenced to over two years in federal prison. Reyes had pleaded guilty on March 6 to attempted bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Oxnard Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and Ventura Police Department, conducted the investigations that led to the arrests.
