SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A Richmond man pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a robbery in 2024 and weapons crimes this year, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
Mario Robinson, 35, pleaded guilty to robbing a CVS store in Pleasanton in July 2024 and for being a felon in possession of a fully-automatic handgun and ammunition, prosecutors said.
Under the plea agreement, Robinson pleaded guilty to robbery affecting interstate commerce, illegal possession of a machine gun, and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition.
On July 9, 2024, Robinson entered a CVS Pharmacy in Pleasanton wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and a black ski mask and carrying a garbage bag. He approached an employee from behind and took out a paintball gun that appeared to be an AR-style rifle. He followed the employee behind the counter and pointed the gun at her while she opened one of the store's cash registers. He took the entire cash drawer, which contained approximately $247, and put it in his bag.
According to prosecutors, he then fled the store and got on a BART train. Pleasanton officers were able to track his movements by a GPS tracker hidden in the cash drawer, and he got off at a nearby train station, having changed clothes and carrying a duffel bag.
Robinson ran from police but was apprehended after chucking the duffel bag where he along his path. The bag contained the clothes Robinson had been wearing during the robbery, the cash drawer, and the AR-style paintball gun.
Robinson also admitted to firing a gun in San Francisco on Feb. 25.
According to prosecutors, he approached a group standing outside a convenience store in the Tenderloin neighborhood, again wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. He began firing at the group with a Glock model 22 .40 caliber handgun fitted with a machinegun conversion device commonly referred to as a "switch". Robinson fired a single shot multiple times. Prosecutors said the gun failed to cycle properly and he manually racked the slide of the gun between each shot. After doing this multiple times, he successfully fired an automatic multiple-round burst.
The group fled, and Robinson put the gun in his waistband and walked away. San Francisco Police Department officers responded to the scene, and Robinson began running. He fled into a nearby parking lot and discarded the gun under a parked car. Officers then apprehended him.
Before the February 2026 case, Robinson had been convicted of multiple felonies, including robberies in California and Louisiana.
Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7 and is facing up to 45 years in federal prison.
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