Matthew Ortega, Armed Robbery, Missouri 2023

A St. Louis County man has admitted to committing the armed robbery of a convenience store in Jefferson County, Missouri.

Matthew Ortega, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On Thursday, Ortega admitted to pointing a Glock handgun at the clerk of a convenience store and gas station on Hillsboro-House Springs Road in Jefferson County, Missouri, and demanding money from the cash register.

Ortega was wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the robbery and left on a distinctive Suzuki motorcycle. Three days later, he was involved in an accident while riding the Suzuki and wearing the same helmet and hard knuckle motorcycle gloves he wore for the robbery.

Police later recovered the gun he used in the robbery.

Ortega is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18. Both sides have agreed to recommend 11 years in prison.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/st-louis-county-man-admits-armed-robbery-convenience-store