Springfield Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Armed Robbery
BOSTON – A Springfield man has been sentenced in connection with an armed robbery of a convenience store and firearms charges.
Emilio Rivera, 34, was sentenced on July 6, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2019, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of using a firearm in relation to crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On Nov. 14, 2019, Rivera and, allegedly, co-defendant Alfredo Aldeco robbed a clerk in a West Springfield convenience store at gunpoint. When law enforcement later executed a search warrant on Rivera’s home, they found the firearm used in the robbery along with another firearm and ammunition, owned by Rivera. At the time, Rivera was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.
Aldeco has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the West Springfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee, Northampton and Springfield Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla of Levy’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.