Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BOSTON – A Holyoke man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Springfield in connection with a string of nine armed robberies of convenience stores across Western Massachusetts and firearms charges.

Alfredo Aldeco, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of using a firearm in relation to crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2024.

On Nov. 14, 2018, Aldeco and co-defendant Emilio Rivera robbed a clerk in a West Springfield convenience store at gunpoint. After forcibly taking cash and cigarettes from the clerk, Aldeco warned the clerk, “If you call the cops, I will come back and kill you.” The firearm used in the robbery was later found during a search of Rivera’s home – in a bedroom being occupied by Aldeco. At the time, Aldeco was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.

The November 2018 robbery was the last in a string of nine robberies that took place in Holyoke, Chicopee, Northampton, West Springfield and Agawam over the two-week period following Oct. 25, 2018. In each of the robberies, Aldeco held store clerks at gunpoint.

On July 6, 2023, Rivera was sentenced to six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The charges of interference with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence provides for a sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the West Springfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee, Northampton and Springfield Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.

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