Diamond, Burt & Akhkashian, LLP

Media / In The News

A Paraplegic robber may face life in prison

A PARAPLEGIC ROBBER may face life in prison under the Three Strikes law, said the February 16 Los Angeles Times. Juan Romero Robles, also known as Miguel Angel Corlione, has been charged with second-degree robbery, attempted robbery, and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. On December 10, he allegedly placed a toy gun to the head of a woman at a bus stop in La Puente, telling her he would kill her if she reported him to the police. Ten minutes later, at the same bus stop, Robles allegedly lifted his shirt to show a man the toy gun tucked in his pants, and demanded the man's watch and shoes. The man refused and got on the bus. Robles was arrested while being lifted, with his wheelchair, into the bus.

Robles, a former gang member, was convicted of six felonies between the years 1986 and 1992. In 1988, he was convicted of robbery and in 1990 of assault to commit rape, for which he is a registered sex offender. In 1995, he was shot in a gang-related incident, which rendered him paralyzed.

Robles' attorney, David Diamond, said classifying his client's crime as a third-strike case "is definitely without merit. It's not supported by the evidence or his physical condition."