Robbery Ringleader Gets 23-Year Prison Sentence
A man described as the leader of a band of crooks that stole valuables and identification from look-alike shoppers was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Jorge Luis Higareda, 19, was sentenced Thursday in Pasadena Superior Court for nine counts of armed robbery.
Authorities said Higareda led a gang that committed nine armed holdups at shopping centers in Monterey Park between late July and early August, 1990. The four bandits chose shoppers who looked like them, police said.
The men, who authorities dubbed the “Look-Alike Bandits,” used the credit cards to buy thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said.
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