A Peabody man pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with more than a dozen armed robberies committed throughout the greater Boston area.
Luis Cintron, 41, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. He also pleaded guilty to charges of possession of cocaine and cocaine base with intent to distribute. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for March 12, 2021. In March 2018, Cintron was arrested and charged by criminal complaint. The guilty pleas were entered Wednesday.
Cintron was involved in the robbery of 15 convenience stores in the greater Boston area between Dec. 28, 2017 and Feb. 15, 2018. During each of the robberies, which occurred in Peabody, Lynn, East Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop, and Everett, two robbers entered the store wearing masks and wielding a firearm. During a Jan. 8, 2018, robbery in Lynn, one of the robbers fired a gun at a clerk who had followed the robbers out of the store.
Each charge of interfering with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of 28 grams or more of cocaine base with intent to distribute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least eight years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $8 million. Sentences will be imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Several members of law enforcement units played key roles in the investigation and prosecution, including Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary and Peabody Police Chief Tom Griffin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Richardson of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.