Alleged Gang Member's Robbery Appeal Denied By Ga. Supreme Court

NORCROSS, GA — A man convicted in a string of violent, gang-related home invasions in Gwinnett County will remain in prison after losing an appeal before the Georgia Supreme Court.

The high court unanimously turned down the appeal, which claimed Gustavo Cisneros didn't get a fair trial.

Cisneros, then a teenager and alleged member of the PL-14 street gang, was indicted on charges stemming from a string of home invasions in 2004.

In 2008, he was convicted by a jury on six counts of armed robbery, eight counts of burglary, two counts of criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, two counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of sexual battery.

He was sentenced to life in prison, plus more than 200 years, for the crimes.

An appeals court ruling threw out a handful of those counts, but affirmed most of them.

Cisneros's appeal to the Supreme Court argued that some of his convictions were based solely on the testimony of a fellow defendant. It claimed there was insufficient evidence to find him guilty of sexual assault and that a Spanish translator present during his trial sometimes translated things inaccurately.

But, in a ruling released Monday, the Supreme Court agreed with the appeals court's decision.

In a series of what the court called "markedly similar" home invasions, Cisneros often served as the driver and lookout.

During the robberies, in February through April of 2004, a group of men wearing masks and bandannas over their faces broke into several homes with semiautomatic pistols, tied up their victims and stole money, electronics, jewelry and other items.

Several people were shot and several women were sexually assaulted in the invasions.

In its 26-page ruling, the court ruled that there was, in fact, enough evidence against Cisneros to convict him and that his lawyers failed to prove the issue with the interpreter had done anything to hurt his case.

He is serving his sentence at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville.

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