Three Samoans facing federal charges in a string of California robberies

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Three Samoans residing in Southern California are facing federal charges at a Los Angles federal court for a crime spree that occurred in the Los Angeles County and ended in the death of an innocent bystander.

And the charges against the defendants —  Kaelenn Maea, 26, of Long Beach; Salagi Iakopo, 30, of Carson; and Mathew Salanoa, 23, of Placentia — were announced last week Thursday by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

The trio was charged with Hobbs Act robbery and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime.

Two of the three defendants are said to be in custody with one still at large.

The US Justice Department said all three defendants have been charged in a federal criminal complaint with allegedly committing three armed robberies of a liquor store, gas station, and convenience store – a crime spree that ended in the death of an innocent bystander in a fatal car accident while the defendants fled from police.

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, the defendants committed three armed robberies from September 22 to September 29 in Downey, Compton, and South El Monte, prosecutors say.

In each of the robberies, one of the robbers allegedly used a short-style rifle to control the cashier and customers while another robber took full cash registers or drawers before all the robbers fled in an SUV.

Specifically, on Sept. 27, the three defendants allegedly robbed a Compton gas station. One of the robbers, believed to be Salanoa, was caught on surveillance footage approximately 10 minutes before the robbery casing the store in preparation to rob it.

The robbers left briefly before returning. Another robber, believed to be Iakopo, grabbed and detached the cash register from the counter. The final robber, believed to be Maea, pointed a rifle at the cashier and customers preventing them from exiting the store. The robbers allegedly stole approximately $1,500 inside the cash register and fled in a stolen Range Rover.

Two days later, two defendants, believed to be Maea and Iakopo, robbed a convenience store in South El Monte. One of the robbers pointed a rifle at the cashier while the other robber stole the cash register drawer. In total, the robbers stole approximately $350 to $400. The robbers then fled in the stolen Range Rover, according to prosecutors.

Then on Oct. 9, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found the stolen Range Rover, which allegedly sped off and almost immediately hit another car, killing a civilian motorist inside. The suspects then ran away, but deputies found Iakopo hiding in a trash can in the area, the affidavit alleges.

Deputies later found clothing believed to belong to Maea beside a small crawl space under a nearby house. Inside the stolen Range Rover deputies found clothing, identification and a cellphone believed to belong to Maea, according to the affidavit cited by prosecutors in their announcement.

If convicted of both charges, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the Hobbs Act robbery count and up to life in federal prison for the firearm count.

The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are continuing their investigating in this matter.

BACKGROUND

The Hobbs Act, named after United States Representative Sam Hobbs (D-AL) and codified as 18 U.S.C. § 1951, is a United States federal law enacted in 1946 that prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion that affect interstate or foreign commerce. It also forbids conspiracy to do so.