Repeat robber goes to prison

South County Courthouse

A South Bay man was sentenced to 20 years and four months in state prison for robbing a Chula Vista bank and twice robbing the same credit union on Palm Avenue.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Frank Brown ordered Alberto Alatorre Jr., 35, to pay $18,244.20 in restitution for the July 20, 2009, hold-ups.

Alatorre was convicted June 9 of five counts of robbery.

Brown also fined him $10,492 and gave him credit for already serving 185 days in jail.

The prosecutor asked for a 28-year sentence, which was the maximum.

Bank tellers testified Alatorre carried a black day planner in his hands and when he opened it they saw a black semi-automatic handgun inside.

The first robbery occurred on Nov. 6, 2009, at the North Island Credit Union, and he returned there for another hold-up on Dec. 2.

The Wells Fargo bank at 826 Third Ave. in Chula Vista was robbed on Feb. 5.

Alatorre was arrested Feb. 10 at his Nestor home on Oro Vista Road by officers from Chula Vista Police Department, the FBI, and sheriff’s detectives. Alatorre has a prior conviction for importing marijuana into the U.S. in 1996, according to court records.