Eric Romero-Lobato, Armed Carjacking, Nevada 2019

Reno, NV – In a shocking turn of events, a federal jury has convicted Eric Romero-Lobato, 39, of stealing a car at gunpoint, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Romero-Lobato, armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, stole a car from an individual at gunpoint. Reno Police Department officers located the stolen vehicle within hours of the carjacking. Romero-Lobato led the police on a high-speed chase before wrecking the stolen car. He was then apprehended.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Reno Police Department. Romero-Lobato has prior convictions for unlawful reentry by a deported person and for eluding a police officer.

United States District Judge Larry R. Hicks presided over the trial and scheduled a sentencing hearing on November 19, 2019. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

Romero-Lobato is in custody and is awaiting a jury trial for the remaining counts in the indictment. The charges are related to the attempted robbery of a bar and grill in Sparks. The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sparks Police Department.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program by the Department of Justice that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Rachow and Steven Myhre are prosecuting both cases.

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