A Guatemalan national residing in Houston has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in three armed robberies. Josue Castro-Gomez, 29, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was convicted on multiple counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm. U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the sentencing.
Castro-Gomez pleaded guilty on October 1, 2024. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced him to 98 months for the robberies and an additional consecutive 84 months for the firearms charge, totaling a 182-month term. Following his imprisonment, Castro-Gomez is expected to lose his legal status in the United States and face deportation proceedings.
The court heard that Castro-Gomez committed these crimes by initially posing as a customer before surprising store employees with demands at gunpoint. The incidents occurred in November and December of 2023 at two gas stations and a smoke shop in the Houston area.
On November 25, Castro-Gomez entered Korner Food Mart in Houston, brandished a firearm, and demanded cash from the register. He discharged the weapon above the clerk's head but left without taking any money. On December 11-12, he successfully robbed a Circle K gas station and Vape City, fleeing with cash from both locations.
Law enforcement apprehended Castro-Gomez on December 12 while he was carrying a .32 caliber handgun. Investigators linked him to the earlier robbery through ballistic evidence; a spent shell casing from November matched the firearm found during his arrest.
Castro-Gomez has previous felony convictions from 2015 and 2017 for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of controlled substances respectively. As such, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
He will remain detained until transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from local law enforcement agencies including the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez prosecuted this case.
This case utilized leads generated by ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which helps solve violent crimes involving firearms by comparing ballistic evidence across crime scenes.