Armed hotel robbery of $30 lands young man in prison

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 22-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been sentenced following his conviction of robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Rudy Feregrino pleaded guilty May 23.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered him to serve a total of 90 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

On Jan. 20, at approximately 1:44 a.m., Feregrino entered the Holiday Inn Express on Brookhaven Dr. in Corpus Christi. He was wearing distinctive grey high-top Nike sneakers and a black windbreaker with white reflective stripes. He went directly to the front desk and pointed a black and tan firearm at the clerk and demanded money from the register. The frightened clerk complied, after which Feregrino left.

Several hours later, law enforcement saw an individual that matched Feregrino's description entering a vehicle. They discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen and conducted a traffic stop.

Feregrino was still wearing the same distinctive clothes from the robbery. Authorities also found the black and tan firearm.

Feregrino has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Dunn prosecuted the case.