Mocobizscene– Jamie Fontanez, aged 45, received a reduced sentence of 14½ years as part of a plea bargain. Similarly, Paul Jimenez, aged 33, secured a sentence of 10 years. In the federal prison system, all individuals are required to complete their full terms of imprisonment as there is no provision for parole.
Surveillance footage captured Chan-Guillen brandishing a firearm at a liquor store employee in Elizabeth, as the robbers swiftly absconded with $4,000 in cash and three cell phones. In a separate incident, just five days later, they managed to secure $8,400 from a store located in Rahway.
During the robbery of a liquor store in Woodbridge, Chan-Guillen once again took on the role of the gunman, managing to steal a total of $800. The tio then visited a liquor store in Bloomfield, but this time, the situation took an unexpected turn.
The robbers fled the scene without stealing anything and quickly got into a Honda Civic that was registered to Fontanez. Chan-Guillen’s streak of good fortune came to an end in Lyndhurst on November 30, 2018.
As he pulled his Nissan Maxima into a parking lot, the driver noticed Officer Joseph White of the Lyndhurst Police about to stop him. Interestingly, the front license plate was missing from his vehicle. Chan-Guillen not only had a suspended license, but he had also neglected to attend traffic court in Elizabeth.
According to Lyndhurst Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri, Chan-Guillen stated that he had borrowed the vehicle from his cousin and believed that the correct license plates might be somewhere in the car after a computer check of the license plate yielded no results.
Chad-Guillen discovered that he had purchased the car from a woman in Union County. He paid $1,000 in cash for it, and there were no documents involved in the transaction. After serving three years in state prison for drug and weapons convictions, he had just been paroled when the robbery spree began.
When Chad-Guillen refused to open the trunk for Lyndhurst police, he was taken into custody. Subsequently, his parole officer was notified and the vehicle was towed.
During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that the firearm used in the robberies, a .45-caliber Charles Daly pistol, was found inside the trunk. Ballistics testing confirmed that it was the same weapon used in the Bloomfield shooting. Additionally, Chan-Guillen was identified as the suspect as he was wearing the same sneakers and jacket that were seen in each of the robbery incidents.
Both Fontanez and Jiminez ultimately decided to enter into plea deals, resulting in reduced sentences for both individuals. After taking the risk of going to trial, he was found guilty by federal jurors in Newark last March. The charges against him included robbery and weapons offenses, such as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The trial lasted for one week, and as a result, he now faces the possibility of spending decades behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler handed down a prison term to Chan-Guillen. In addition to the prison term, Chan-Guillen will also serve five years of supervised release. The sentencing took place during a hearing on Monday, Dec. 11.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited Special agents from the FBI for their investigation, which resulted in the convictions and sentences. Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Mezzanotte of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark secured the convictions and sentences.
The U.S. attorney acknowledged the efforts of several police departments, including Elizabeth, Rahway, Woodbridge, Bloomfield, Linden, Kenilworth, Union, and Lyndhurst. He also recognized the contributions of the New Jersey State Police, the ATF’s New York Division, and the NYPD.
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