Aug. 9, 2001 — A 28-year-old St. Croix man indicted by a federal grand jury in May for multiple carjackings was arrested by V.I. police officers Tuesday night.
Lorenzo "Tito" Robles was arrested on a federal warrant after police stopped a vehicle in which he was a passenger, according to U.S. Attorney David Atkinson.
Robles and Remy Augustine, 22, were indicted in May by a federal grand jury on St. Croix on 13 counts, including multiple carjackings and firearms offenses. Atkinson said the two were indicted for a June 28, 1996, carjacking in the Clifton Hill area. Robles was also charged with the use of a firearm during the incident. The two men were also indicted for carjacking and firearms offenses for a June 29, 1996, incident in Williams Delight.
Additionally, Robles was indicted for federal firearms offenses of being a felon in possession of a weapon and being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm during an incident on July 17, 1996, in Barren Spot, Atkinson said.
Robles had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Wednesday and remains in custody pending a detention hearing Thursday. Augustine is in federal custody pending sentencing in an unrelated case.
The maximum penalty for carjacking is 15 years in prison. Use of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, according to Atkinson. Possession of a firearm by a drug user carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Atkinson added that Robles faces a maximum of 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for using a firearm to commit a felony. Each of the offenses carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
