A 24-year-old Santa Ana man was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for a spree of stick-ups at eateries in Orange County this year.
Freddie Alexander Lopez, who pleaded guilty in July to a count of interference with commerce by robbery, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb to serve three years of supervised release when he finishes his prison term.
Holcomb said the sentencing guidelines, which recommended up to 57 months, was too high. He added that he appreciated that federal prosecutors recommended 46 months, but said, “That seems a little too harsh.”
Holcomb said he appreciated that Lopez said he wasn’t in his right mind when he robbed or attempted to rob the stores because of a substance abuse problem.
“I think three years is about right,” Holcomb said.
“It is my hope and expectation that when you finish your custodial time you find” an occupation to pursue, the judge told the defendant.
Lopez has said he wants to pursue a career in the “culinary arts” or as a “medical assistant,” Holcomb noted.
“Either one would be wonderful,” the judge said. “And I hope you get a chance to address your substance abuse issues. My hope and expectation is you will emerge from this process a better person.”
Holcomb recommended a prison where Lopez could receive treatment for his addiction issues.
A knife-wielding Lopez robbed a Subway restaurant in Santa Ana on Jan. 27. Three days later, he attempted to rob another Subway in Fountain Valley with a knife, and later that day, he robbed a Yum Yum Donuts store in Santa Ana, according to prosecutors.
Lopez also attempted to rob a Subway in Anaheim with a fake gun, prosecutors said.
Lopez’s attorney, Adithya Mani, said in court papers that his client struggled after his parents separated when he was 5 years old. He rarely saw his father after that and was bullied by step-siblings, his attorney said.
The defendant’s stepfather was a pastor, but he did not appear to “`practice the sermons he preached at church” and was cruel to his wife in front of her son, the attorney said.
Lopez did well academically in school but when he started using marijuana, he began failing, Mani said.
His mother transferred him to Legacy Preparatory Academy in Santa Ana and he rebounded and graduated in May 2020, the attorney said.
Like most everyone else, his college courses began online during the pandemic and he soon dropped out of Cal State Dominguez Hills to start working, Mani said.
The defendant’s grandmother died suddenly as she went to check on her mother’s health in Mexico, which “devastated” Lopez, his attorney said.
Lopez quit his job and fell into a cocaine addiction, but when he had a panic attack at work, he tried to quit and it led to “severe withdrawals” and “contributed to his poor decision-making and, most egregiously,” the crime spree, his attorney said.
In a letter to the judge, Lopez said he also grew up with an ailing sister who struggled with an autoimmune disease. He also said that although he had been afflicted with painful memories in his youth, he realized he must move on.
“What separates us lies in the choices we make,” he wrote. “We both have the choice to learn and grow, or the choice to ignore and regress, the choice to love and live, or the choice to hate and resent, the choice to help or the choice to hurt. I have made choices that brought me to Santa Ana Jail. This place has forced me to come to terms with those choices, as well as the impact they’ve had on my family, community and most importantly, the victims.”