Long Beach man gets 22 years for cell phone store robberies in California, Arizona

A Long Beach man, considered the ringleader of a robbery crew, was sentenced to more than 22 years in federal prison Tuesday, Feb. 18, in connection with 13 cell phone store robberies that netted about $340,000 in phones and other merchandise, authorities said.

Zachary David Wade, 42, was also ordered by United States District Judge David O. Carter to pay $326,236 in restitution, spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said.

Wade pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to charges of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, attempted interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, McEvoy said.

Wade was accused of leading a group of eight other suspects in the robberies, which he planned, organized and supervised. The crew hit Verizon stores in Tarzana, Torrance, Fullerton, Long Beach, Corona, San Pedro, Corona del Mar and Tucson and Glendale in Arizona between July 2017 and February 2018, authorities said.

He gave instructions on how the robberies would take place, identified entrance and exit routes, and provided duffle bags and loaded firearms, which others would use to carry out the robberies, McEvoy said.

He then would decide how much of each haul each team member would receive before selling the rest off to a buyer in Glendale, Ariz.

Wade was caught in Glendale, Calif. the day after executing a robbery in Tucson, Ariz. Authorities caught up to him while he was attempting to sell the stolen phones for cash, Jan. 31, 2018, McEvoy said.

Eight others in the robbery scheme – from Long Beach, Bellflower and Lancaster – have pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy, robbery and firearms charges, McEvoy said.

Two of them have been sentenced. Randall Lee Tate, Jr., 31, of Long Beach, received a sentence of more than four years in federal prison in September 2018. Marques Alphonse Petty-Wright, 32, of Long Beach was sentenced to two years in federal prison a year later, authorities said.

Authorities also found a former employee of a Verizon store in Tarzana helped the crew in robbing the store, McEvoy said. Francisco Javier Neri, 32, of Van Nuys took a plea deal and was scheduled to be sentenced, April 6.