An East Bay man has been sentenced to prison after an Asian woman was robbed "because Asians are easy targets who don't fight back," according to federal prosecutors.
Freddie Lee Davis III, 27, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Thursday. His co-defendant, Sene Malepeai, 27, pleaded guilty to the same charges and has yet to be sentenced, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern California said Friday.
In a plea agreement, Malepeai said she and three others discussed "going to Chinatown to rob Asian women with purses or jewelry" on June 17, 2021, and ended up at a Costco in San Leandro, prosecutors said.
Two members of the group said they "preferred robbing Asians because they thought they have more money, and because Asians are easy targets who don't fight back," prosecutors said, citing Malepeai's plea agreement.
The robbery took place in the Costco parking lot as the victim left the store and was walking to her vehicle. A black Honda drove alongside, and a person reached out and grabbed her purse from the moving car, prosecutors said.
