East Palo Alto man gets 17 years for more than 50 robberies that netted $2 million in goods

REDWOOD CITY – A 27-year-old East Palo Alto man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for stealing about $2 million worth of items in nearly 60 home burglaries across the San Francisco Peninsula, prosecutors said.

Francisco Antonio Cruz Ramirez, who is also a resident of Modesto, pleaded no contest in April 2025 to 13 counts of felony residential burglary and admitted to the allegation of a violent felony on eight of those counts in exchange for a maximum sentence of 20 years, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Cruz Ramirez was originally charged with 57 counts of felony residential burglary, prosecutors said. As part of the plea deal, a separate case for alleged drug possession in jail was also dropped.

His sentencing – for a total of 17 years and four months – was passed down June 5 by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Sean P. Dabel, prosecutors said. Cruz Ramirez was also denied probation.

San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said that the sentence was “strong,” adding that the reduction in counts in the plea deal came after a judge agreed to impose no more than a 20-year maximum sentence on the case.

“Seventeen (years), four (months) is a very strong sentence that will keep this burglar locked up for a good many more years, which is what we wanted,” Wagstaffe said.

Wagstaffe noted that the dismissed counts can still be considered for restitution, for which Cruz Ramirez could be held liable for up to $2 million.

Brandon Douglass, Cruz Ramirez’s defense attorney, said that he was planning to file a notice of appeal that would focus “to some extent” on the sentence.

“Whether I agree with the number or not, I think the court did a very thorough analysis of all of the competing factors and interests,” Douglass said. “We obviously disagree with the number, and obviously we’re grateful to the court for going below 20. Every year matters when you’re talking about someone getting back to their lives and their family and their kids.”

Between September 2018 and May 2019, Cruz Ramirez committed 57 residential burglaries – 12 in South San Francisco, three in Hillsborough, five in Foster City, 12 in Belmont, seven in Burlingame, three in San Mateo, two in San Bruno and 13 in areas under the jurisdiction of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, prosecutors said.

Cruz Ramirez was charged alongside his brother, 30-year-old Patterson, Calif. resident Raul Ramirez Cruz, who carried out 13 residential burglaries and attempted one additional burglary, prosecutors said. He pleaded no contest in 2023 to one count of felony accessory in exchange for a two year sentence.

The collective value of the items the two men stole totaled nearly $2 million, prosecutors said. They also stole more than 100 firearms.

Five of the residences were occupied at the time of the burglaries, prosecutors added. The brothers carried out these thefts by breaking sliding glass doors.

Investigators from the law enforcement agencies of impacted cities and the county gang intelligence unit launched a year-long investigation which resulted in a judge signing a $5 million warrant for Cruz Ramirez’s arrest in January 2020, prosecutors said.

On April 15, 2020, police in Modesto located Cruz Ramirez’s vehicle and attempted to carry out a stop for a traffic violation, prompting him to lead police on a “lengthy” chase, prosecutors added. The chase ended when he crashed his vehicle and was subsequently hospitalized for injuries he sustained in the crash.

Cruz Ramirez then fled from the hospital, prosecutors added, but he was later found. He remains in custody on $2,850,000 bail and will next appear in court July 8 for a restitution hearing.