Getaway Driver for Credit Union Robbery Sentenced to 46 Months Prison Angelica Sagote Follows her Uncle Sefo Sagote to Prison |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California
July 7, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Angelica Sagote was sentenced to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding in the armed bank robbery of the Pacific Postal Credit Union in San Francisco, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.
Sagote, 21, was sentenced Monday by United States District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel. She began serving her prison sentence immediately. Judge Patel also ordered Sagote to pay $78,765 in restitution to the Credit Union and a $200 special assessment to the Court.
Sagote pleaded guilty on February 26. She admitted that she drove the car during the Aug. 6, 2008, robbery, and that she knew the two robbers with her were armed with BB-guns that looked like guns. Her uncle, Sefo Sagote, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery and was sentenced on June 15 to serve a 133-month prison sentence. Co-defendant Elisara Taito also pleaded guilty and was sentenced in June to a 78-month prison sentence.
Sefo Sagote, Angelica Sagote, and Taito were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 26, 2008, for attempted armed bank robbery, armed bank robbery, and conspiracy. According to their plea agreements, the trio conspired to rob the Pacific Postal Credit Union, a federally insured credit union located at 175 Mendell Street, San Francisco.
On Aug. 4, 2008, Sefo Sagote attempted to rob the Credit Union while carrying a black BB-gun that was a replica of a gun. The attempt was unsuccessful as tellers at the Credit Union dove behind a safety “bandit barrier.”
On Aug. 6, 2008, Angelica Sagote drove Sefo Sagote and Taito to the credit union just before it opened for the day. Sefo Sagote and Taito got out of the vehicle and pointed black BB-guns, which were replicas of large caliber guns, at one of the tellers to force her to open the credit union’s door. Once inside, Sefo Sagote and Taito threatened to shoot the tellers, causing one teller to open the vault. The robbers then took cash out of the vault and fled the credit union in a vehicle driven by Angelica Sagote.
According to the plea agreements, the loss to the Credit Union from the August 6 robbery was $76,300, of which $36,282 was recovered by San Francisco Police Officers when arresting the defendants on August 6.
The maximum statutory penalty for attempted armed bank robbery and armed bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(d) is 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and five years of supervised release. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 is five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
Nat Cousins is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon and Elizabeth Garcia. The conviction follows an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Francisco Police Department.