A Salvadoran man who re-entered the U.S. illegally after being deported has confessed to robbing six liquor stores at gunpoint in Southern California, stealing both cash and alcohol.
Jesús Sotoparada, who is an undocumented immigrant, has pleaded guilty to eight felony charges related to a string of crimes.
Authorities captured Soto and his partners thanks to a covert GPS device hidden in $250 of stolen cash, allowing them to monitor Soto’s and his accomplices’ movements.
On June 13, 2024, around 2:30 a.m., Soto-Prada, donning a blue surgical mask and black sweatshirt, allegedly held up a 7-Eleven in Gardena while his associate, Daniel Pavon, aimed a replica handgun at the clerk.
When officers searched Soto’s green Ford Explorer just a short distance from the store, they discovered a stash of surgical masks, another replica gun, a hoodie, and cash.
The tracking device was located in the passenger seat floorboard, as detailed in a criminal complaint from the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s office.
Investigators found that Soto had carried out multiple robberies in Southern California between January and June 2024, hitting six liquor stores and a 7-Eleven, and pilfering over $17,000 in cash and merchandise.
Surveillance footage further corroborates the investigation, capturing the suspects in hoodies and masks, armed during the incidents at places like Monroe Liquors and a local 7-Eleven in Buena Park, California.
Soto had previously been arrested by the Department of Homeland Security in 2016 and 2022 for immigration offenses, leading to his deportation to El Salvador around April 12, 2024.
Questions remain about how Soto managed to come back to the U.S.
He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy and seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery. Sentencing is set for April 15, 2026, where he could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each charge.
