WASHINGTON — A Maryland woman who confessed to taking part in two gang murders has received a 95-year prison sentence over a string of robberies.
Twenty-year-old Josselin Ramirez’s sentence Thursday from Montgomery County Circuit Judge John Maloney was for three counts of armed robbery (20 years maximum for each) and three counts of participation (15 maximum for each).
The length of Ramirez’s sentence will be reconsidered in five years. She would be up for parole after serving 25 percent of the total sentence.
A grand jury indicted Ramirez in January, and she later pleaded guilty over three robberies she participated in on Sept. 1, Sept. 22 and Nov. 3, according to a statement from the Montgomery County state’s attorney.
During the process, investigators said, Ramirez confessed to setting up two murders in El Salvador, one of which involved a police officer.
In looking into her ties to the country, investigators found photos of her flashing gang signs and aiming guns. She is a member of the MS-13 gang, they said.
Ramirez’s defense attorney, Tim Clarke, sought leniency in the sentencing, saying that the woman had been kidnapped at the age of 14 and sexually assaulted. She had escaped to the U.S., he said, seeking a better life for her and her child.
The Sept. 1 incident occurred at the Delgado’s Eatery food truck at 12265 Viers Mill Rd. in Silver Spring. Three masked suspects pointed guns at employees and demanded cash before leaving with $3,000, according to charging documents.
The Sept. 22 robbery happened at the Exxon Gas Station at 12245 Viers Mill Rd. in Wheaton. In that case, four armed suspects confronted the manager and an employee, according to charging documents. An employee was struck with a gun, and the suspects escaped with $120,000 in cash.
On Nov. 3, 2017, four armed, masked suspects entered a building that houses Best Wireless and Check Cash Depot at 11246 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. There, they threatened employees and customers and took $236 before fleeing, according to charging documents.
That same day, Montgomery County police followed a van and car at another check-cashing business after seeing a driver from the car pull on the back door of the business.
During a pursuit, the van was involved in an accident on the Beltway’s Inner Loop, and four of the five van occupants were arrested. The van’s driver was killed when he attempted to run across traffic, according to court documents.
The driver of the car was later identified as Miguel Angel Ayala Rivera, according to police. He was arrested. Further investigation led to a residence at 2500 Olson St. in Temple Hills, Maryland, where Ramirez was found, authorities said.
Ramirez provided an officer with a work permit identification card with her picture on it, according to documents.
Ramirez admitted to being part of the robbery crew and said she cased the locations in advance and conducted surveillance during the course of the Sept. 1 and Nov. 3 robberies, court documents said.
Ramirez’s crew could have been involved in robberies in Prince George’s County as well as in Virginia, prosecutors said.
“This is a crime that really shocks the consciousness of the community,” said Ramon Korionoff, public affairs director for the Montgomery County state’s attorney’s office. “[The victims] are folks that are hard-working people, everyday people just doing their job.
“People in our county, and in our community at large — whether it be in Virginia, Maryland or D.C. — deserve to live free from fear of being stuck up at gunpoint for money.”
WTOP’s Jack Pointer contributed to this report.
