Four SoCal Residents Found Guilty of Participating in an Armed Robbery and Carjacking at Car Repair Shop in San Bernardino County

RIVERSIDE, California - Three San Gabriel Valley residents and one San Bernardino County man have been found guilty by a jury of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking of a car repair business last year in Bloomington in which one victim was pistol-whipped into near unconsciousness, the Justice Department announced today.

At the conclusion of a 13-day trial, a federal jury on late Wednesday returned a guilty verdict on all counts against the following defendants:

• Marcos Guerrero, 49, of Glendora;
• Elijah Gafare, 35, of West Covina;
• Cinthia Leal, 39, of Glendora; and
• Vincent Solarez, 68, of Upland.

All four defendants were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of carjacking.

Guerrero, Gafare, and Leal also were found guilty of witness tampering and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of and in relation to a crime of violence. Guerrero further was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to evidence presented at trial, Guerrero, Gafare, Leal, and Solarez participated in an armed robbery of a car repair shop in Bloomington in the early morning hours of March 12, 2024. During the robbery, two of the defendants brandished firearms and one of the defendants pistol-whipped one of the victims into near unconsciousness.

The defendants kept the victims hostage and threatened to kill them if the victims did not hand over cash, their car, and if they ever called law enforcement. In total, defendants stole several thousand dollars in cash and the business surveillance system, in addition to the victim's car and other property.

Law enforcement tracked the defendants down and arrested them in May and June of 2024.

On May 30, 2024, Guerrero illegally possessed a .45-caliber firearm and dozens of rounds of ammunition. He is not permitted to possess firearms and ammunition because his criminal history includes convictions in San Bernardino County Superior Court for home invasion robbery, first-degree residential burglary, false imprisonment by violence, possession of a firearm by a felon, and evading a police officer.

United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal scheduled an April 21 sentencing hearing, at which Guerrero, Gafare, and Leal will face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Solarez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison.

The FBI Inland Violent Crimes Suppression Task Force and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua J. Lee and Neil P. Thakor of the General Crimes Section, and Tritia L. Yuen of the Riverside Branch Office, are prosecuting this case.

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