YAKIMA, Wash. – A man from Toppenish was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison on Wed., June 12 for robbery with a gun, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
Eduardo Valencia, 42, was convicted on March 6 after a jury trial. Chief District Judge Stanley Bastian also imposed five years of federal supervision following his release.
Court documents shared at the trial and sentencing say that on Nov. 18, 2020, Valencia and another man walked into the La Milpa Market in Yakima with masks on and pulled out guns to demand money from the clerk, threatening to kill them.
Both men fought with the clerk and ended up hitting him with a pistol. The two then ran out of the store with around $10,000.
Valencia was identified by investigators through multiple means, including DNA on a glove dropped during the fight with the clerk.
“All people in Eastern Washington deserve to be safe at work,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “Mr. Valencia’s violent robbery and assault on a store clerk caused lasting trauma that will continue even after this case concludes.”
Valencia’s charges include robbery affecting commerce and using, carrying or brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Valencia’s case was investigated by the ATF and the Yakima Police Department.
