Feds: Suspect in 21 holdups dubiously claimed that his sick son needed help
Claim fell apart during a police interview, cops say
OAKLAND >> A Union City man suspected of robbing 21 stores around the Bay Area — mostly within the span of one month last year — allegedly told store clerks he desperately needed money to help his son because he was on the verge of losing health insurance, according to recently released court records.
But when he was arrested and interviewed by Fremont police last November, 40-year-old Nelson Ramirez’s story fell apart. He reportedly told investigators that he didn’t have any children. When police interviewed his brother, they learned Ramirez had financial issues resulting from a gambling problem.
Ramirez was identified as a suspect through surveillance footage. When he was arrested last year, authorities found clothes and a replica handgun that appeared similar to those used by the man suspected in dozens of store robberies around the Bay Area. During his interview, police had Ramirez try on a mask and hoodie that were similar to the robber’s garb, according to the complaint.
In more than one instance, the robber claimed that his son was in dire need of medical attention and apologized for what he was doing, according to the criminal complaint. Federal prosecutors have filed robbery charges against Ramirez and are expected to seek a superseding indictment against him in coming days.
“I need help. My son, he’s sick. I don’t have insurance. I’m losing my insurance. I don’t have a job,” Ramirez allegedly told the clerks of an East Bay Chevron as he demanded money from a register last November. “I’m not going to hurt you guys. My son is very sick. Give me all the money.”
But in a Hayward gas station robbery a month earlier, Ramirez allegedly brandished a replica firearm and — purporting the weapon to be real — threatened to shoot the clerk. In court records, authorities say the woman feared for her life and handed over a stack of $20 bills.
Since being charged in early March, Ramirez has appeared in court several times, but a federal judge has yet to rule whether to keep him in custody or free him while the charges are pending. That’s supposed to happen in early May, according to court records. In the meantime, he remains in county jail on a no-bail hold.
Ramirez faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged.