St. Louis County Man Admits Armed Robbery of Convenience Store Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri Byline: Robert Patrick Dateline: St. Louis, Missouri Date: 20 June 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime, Motorcycles Topic: Suzuki

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted committing the armed robbery of a convenience store in Jefferson County in 2023.

Matthew Ortega, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted pointing a Glock handgun at the clerk of a convenience store and gas station on Hillsboro-House Springs Road in Jefferson County, Missouri and demanding money from the cash register. Ortega was wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the robbery and left on a distinctive Suzuki motorcycle. Three days later he was involved in an accident while riding the Suzuki and wearing the same helmet and hard knuckle motorcycle gloves he wore for the robbery. Police later recovered the gun he used in the robbery.

Ortega is scheduled to be sentenced September 18. Both sides have agreed to recommend 11 years in prison.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Robert Patrick, Public Affairs Officer, robert.patrick@usdoj.gov.

Updated July 18, 2024