Trio of armed robbers sentenced

POMONA - A 19-year-old man who pleaded guilty last fall to participating in more than two dozen armed robberies with his mother and her boyfriend was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday.Pomona Superior Court Judge Charles Horan sentenced Joshua Oosterhoff after he pleaded guilty to 34 robbery counts last September. Oosterhoff's mother, Paulene Mendoza Oosterhoff, 39, was the getaway driver while her son and boyfriend were the gunmen, prosecutors said. The mother and her boyfriend, Joseph Ostos, 28, pleaded and were sentenced on Sept. 15. Paulene Oosterhoff pleaded guilty and received 10 years in prison. Ostos pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 28 years. The trio were accused of at least 25 armed robberies at liquor stores, gas stations and mini-marts throughout the southland, including robberies in Norwalk. The defendants made away with at least $15,000 during the course of the crime spree between April and June 2010, court officials said.

********** Published: January 13, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 39