Masked Armed Robbers Sentenced to State Prison

By Bay City News, photo via shutterstock

Two men who took part in a string of armed robberies in San Mateo County in 2013 while wearing masks will serve prison time after they both pleaded no contest to felony robbery charges Monday in court, according to the District Attorney.

Judge Lisa Novak sentenced Joshua Faoa, 25, to 7 years in state prison. Joachim Piliote Maka, 24, was sentenced to 8 years in state prison, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. In addition to the no contest plea, the pair also admitted to using a firearm during the incidents, Wagstaffe said.

According to prosecutors the two East Palo Alto men, who also shared an apartment together, robbed multiple convenience stores from October 2013 to January 2014. On Oct. 17, 2013 Faoa, wearing a skeleton mask, and Maka, wearing a wolf mask, entered a 7-Eleven store on Rollins Road in Burlingame and, using a shotgun and pistol, threatened to shoot the store clerk. The two made off with $45, prosecutors said.

In another incident, on Oct. 20, 2013, wearing the same clothing and masks, the pair robbed the Oakwood Market in East Palo Alto, with Maka firing his shotgun into a store refrigerator. Prosecutors said Faoa and Maka took $3,600 from the store.

On Jan. 25, prosecutors said police arrested the men after they were caught burglarizing a 7-Eleven store in Redwood City.

Police were able to obtain a search warrant for Faoa and Maka’s apartment on Capitol Avenue in East Palo Alto. There, police discovered masks and clothing similar to the ones worn by the two in the earlier robberies, as well as shotgun shells, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, police also analyzed the two’s cell phones and found Google searches for the areas where the robberies occurred.

Prosecutors said Maka and Faoa are tied to an Oct. 13, 2013 armed robbery in Palo Alto, and are facing charges related to that crime in Santa Clara County. The court granted Faoa 512 days credit for time served and Maka 656 days credit for time served. The court also ordered the two to pay restitution fines, according to prosecutors. “We worked hard to resolve the case and we’re happy we got a fair result,” Maka’s defense attorney Jeff Jackson said. Faoa’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.