Serial Robber Pleads Guilty To Robbing East Bay CVS With Imitation AR-Style Rifle And Possessing Machine Gun And Ammunition
SAN FRANCISCO / Friday, October 16, 2026 – Mario Robinson pleaded guilty in federal court today to robbing a Pleasanton CVS in July 2024 and possessing a fully-automatic handgun and ammunition as a convicted felon in San Francisco in February 2026.
Robinson, 35, of Richmond, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 23, 2026. Under the plea agreement, Robinson pleaded guilty to Robbery Affecting Interstate Commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), Illegal Possession of a Machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o)(1), and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).
In pleading guilty, Robinson admitted that: on or about July 9, 2024, he entered a Pleasanton, California CVS pharmacy wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and a black ski mask, and carrying a garbage bag. He approached a CVS 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 AR-style paintball gun at her while she opened one of the store’s cash registers. He took the entire cash drawer, which contained approximately $247.22, and put it in his bag.
He then fled the store and got on a BART train. Pleasanton Police 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 fled from police, who ultimately apprehended him and recovered the duffel bag where he had abandoned it along his flight path. The bag contained the clothes Robinson had been wearing during the robbery, the cash drawer, and the AR-style paintball gun.
Robinson further admitted that: on or about February 25, 2026, he approached a group standing outside a convenience store in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, 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; 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 (SFPD) 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.
SFPD recovered the handgun from beneath the car, as well as seven spent shell casings, three unfired cartridges, and a bullet fragment from in front of the convenience store. Subsequent testing revealed gunshot residue on Robinson’s hands and his DNA on the grip of the gun. Prior to the February 2026 incident, Robinson had been convicted of multiple felonies, including robberies in California and Louisiana.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble made the announcement.
Robinson is currently in federal custody. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 7, 2027, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick III. The defendant faces maximum statutory penalties of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for Count One, 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for Count Two, and 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for Count Three. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli J. Cohen is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Tina Rosenbaum. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, with the assistance of the ATF, the Pleasanton Police Department, the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California
