Vincent Chan-Guillen, a 33-year-old ex-con, received the harshest sentence of all. He was sentenced to almost 34 years in federal prison, which is longer than he has been alive. This came after his conviction on a range of charges.
Jamie Fontanez, 45, received a plea-bargained sentence of 14½ years, while Paul Jimenez, 33, was able to secure a 10-year sentence.
In the federal prison system, all individuals are required to complete their entire sentences as there is no option for parole.
During the robbery of a liquor store in Woodbridge, Chan-Guillen once again took on the role of the gunman and managed to steal $800.
Things took an unexpected turn when the trio decided to visit a liquor store in Bloomfield.
The robbers exited the scene without any stolen goods and swiftly boarded a waiting Honda Civic, which was registered under the name Fontanez.
On November 30, 2018, Chan-Guillen’s luck came to an end in Lyndhurst.
As he entered a parking lot, the driver of a Nissan Maxima noticed Lyndhurst Police Officer Joseph White preparing to pull him over. One thing that stood out was the absence of a front license plate on the vehicle.
Chan-Guillen not only had a suspended license, but he had also decided to skip traffic court in Elizabeth.
Chan-Guillen claimed that he had borrowed the vehicle from his cousin and mentioned that the correct plates were likely somewhere in the car, according to Lyndhurst Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri. The computer check of the license plate yielded no results.
Chad-Guillen had purchased the car from a Union County woman, paying $1,000 in cash, without any paperwork.
After completing a three-year sentence in state prison for drug and weapons offenses, he was recently released on parole when the series of robberies started.
Chad-Guillen found himself in police custody after he adamantly refused to open the trunk for the Lyndhurst police. As a result, his vehicle was towed away, and his parole officer was notified of the situation.
During their search of the trunk, law enforcement officials discovered the exact .45-caliber Charles Daly pistol that was used in the robberies. By conducting ballistics testing, they were able to confirm that it was the same weapon used in the Bloomfield shooting. Additionally, Chan-Guillen was found wearing the identical sneakers and jacket that he had worn during each of the robberies.
Both Fontanez and Jiminez ultimately agreed to plea deals that resulted in reduced sentences.
Not Chan-Guillen.
After risking decades of imprisonment, he chose to face a trial and was found guilty by federal jurors in Newark in March of this year. The charges against him included robbery, weapons offenses, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. The trial lasted for one week.
U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler handed down a prison term to Chan-Guillen. Along with the prison term, Chan-Guillen was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. The sentencing took place during a hearing on Monday, Dec. 11.
Special agents from the FBI were instrumental in conducting the investigation that led to the convictions and sentences, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. The successful outcome was achieved thanks to the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace from the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Mezzanotte from the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.
The U.S. attorney acknowledged the efforts of several law enforcement agencies, including the police departments of Elizabeth, Rahway, Woodbridge, Bloomfield, Linden, Kenilworth, Union, and Lyndhurst, as well as the New Jersey State Police, the ATF’s New York Division, and the NYPD.
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