Two Los Angeles County men are facing federal charges after authorities say they robbed more than a dozen massage parlors in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, 28-year-old Andy Cuellar of Hawthorne and 27-year-old Arturo Morales of Downey were arrested on Friday after an armed robbery that day.
Prosecutors say the pair robbed a massage parlor in Torrance that day, with Cuellar driving a black Jeep Grand Cherokee and Morales riding as passenger.
“After the robbery, Cuellar and Morales allegedly were located less than two miles away at a gas station, standing at the back of the Jeep and going through items taken in the robbery, throwing some of them in the trash,” the release said.
The men tried to run and “discard items they had stolen,” the release said, but they were taken into custody, at which point police found about $4,000 in cash on Morales and $400 on Cuellar, who was also wearing a blue Dodgers hat and other clothing spotted in previous massage parlor robberies.
In the jeep, police found a .38-caliber gun that had been reported stolen in 2018, officials said.
“Law enforcement believes that Cuellar and Morales are responsible for at least 12 additional armed robberies, including the alleged robberies of massage parlors from January 12 to January 29 in Santa Ana, Reseda, Venice, Orange, Bellflower, and Redondo Beach,” the release said.
Cuellar and Morales face charges of interfering with commerce by robbery — commonly referred to as a Hobbs Act robbery — and using and carrying a gun during a violent crime.
They are due to make their initial court appearances in Santa Ana on Wednesday.
“If convicted, Cuellar and Morales will face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for the robbery charge and life in federal prison for the firearm charge,” the release said.