A 29-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday for his part in robbing a man at gunpoint at a Garden Grove motel and then forcing him to take the defendants to several ATMs so he could withdraw more money.
Soane Venasio Lelenoa pleaded guilty to a single count of carjacking and two counts of robbery, all felonies, and admitted sentencing enhancements for being armed with a gun in the crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 14.
Co-defendant Fiona Temukisa Fiaseu, 30, who pleaded guilty in June was sentenced Dec. 14 to six years in prison. Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley said then that he received several letters of support from deputies in the Orange County Jail for Fiaseu, which he said was “very unusual.”
Co-defendant Francisco Javier Vasquez, 24, who pleaded guilty in June, was sentenced Dec. 14 to eight years in prison.
Co-defendant Timothy Joseph Perez pleaded guilty Dec. 14 and was immediately sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Co-defendant Finau Temukisa Fiaseu, 29, who is Fiona Fiaseu’s brother, pleaded guilty last April and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
A 38-year-old Costa Mesa man had contacted Fiaseu through an online ad and arranged to meet with her at the Garden Grove Inn, 7912 Garden Grove Blvd., according to police.
The victim called police about 6:30 a.m., Aug. 15, 2014, reporting he was with Fiona Fiaseu in a room at the Garden Grove Inn earlier that morning when two men burst in and threatened him at gunpoint before punching and kicking him, according to police.
The robbers stole the man’s wallet, phone and car keys, police said.
A short time later, two other men showed up and forced the victim into his vehicle, using it to drive to the automated teller machines, police said.
The victim was held captive for two hours by the robbers before they dumped him off in Costa Mesa, police said.