A 39-year-old Fontana man pleaded guilty to his involvement with a crew that robbed Southern California pharmacies, stealing cash and narcotics at gunpoint, in Los Angeles federal court on Aug.14.
In October 2024, residents watching Apollo Pharmacy in Temecula, Calif. witnessed what appeared to be a robbery in progress. Three masked males entered the stores wearing hooded sweatshirts. Two of them carried handguns, pushed employees to the ground, dragged workers and stole cash from registers. At the same time, the third suspect took a trash can and filled it with medication, according to federal prosecutors when the case was initially filed. As officers closed in, a 9 mm handgun was seen being tossed from a getaway car. Four suspects were taken into custody following a short pursuit, officials stated.
According to a 2024 press release by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the crew was arrested for four late summer and early fall robberies in four standalone pharmacies: Delight Pharmacy in Woodland Hills, Apollo Pharmacy in Temecula, Mariners Pharmacy in Newport Beach and Fullerton Express Pharmacy in Fullerton. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of California charged them with attempted interference with commerce by robbery, through the Hobbs Act.
The suspects named in the complaint were Aaron Carter, 39, of Fontana, CA; Diamond Lucious, 25, of Victorville, CA; Issac Penaldoza, 35, of San Bernardino, CA and Kamaria Kendrick, 25, of Menifee, CA.
According to the federal affidavit, three of the four defendants had significant prior records. Carter was arrested in 2003 on weapons violations and has since had multiple felony convictions, including robbery and burglary. Filing also notes that Lucious had been released from federal prison about a year earlier with convictions for carjacking, assault with weapon and firearms offenses. Penaldoza was arrested in 1999 and later convicted of narcotics sales and participation in a criminal street gang.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated ATF worked with the Orange County Violent Crime Task Force — a task force composed of local police departments and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office — to coordinate the case. The ATF-led task force is working closely with the Brea Police Department, the Fullerton Police Department, the Santa Ana Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s office to investigate violent crime throughout Southern California.
Local reports also provided additional information based on federal filings. In Temecula, authorities reported that three suspects went into Apollo Pharmacy after the fourth suspect stayed behind in the car. Upon leaving the store, the four suspects attempted to get away prior to being stopped by police.
The Southern California News Group (SCNG) covered the guilty plea on Aug. 14 on its outlets’ social media pages, the L.A. Daily News and The Press Enterprise among them. Those accounts did not release the terms of the plea agreement but announced that the Fontana suspect pleaded guilty to his part in the pharmacy robbery string in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
With the plea on Aug. 14, Carter becomes the last of four defendants to admit guilt in the robbery spree. His co-defendants Lucious and Penaldoza pleaded guilty in June and face sentencing next month, while Kendrick pleaded guilty on Aug. 1 and is set to be sentenced on Nov.13. A sentencing date for Carter was not included in the public report.
The case continues under the U.S. Attorney’s office with the Orange County Violent Crime Task Force.
Hahmjun Yohan Do is a News Intern for the summer 2025 quarter. He can be reached at hahmjund@uci.edu.
Edited by Joshua Gonzales
