Two South Gate men were charged Friday after they were accused of targeting gamblers at Southern California casinos and ambushing them on the local freeways to steal their winnings, federal authorities announced Friday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged Juan Gonzalez and Dereck Lopez visited local casinos, using fake names, and befriended gamblers who appeared to win or have a lot of chips. Then, they followed their victims out of the casinos and ambushed them on the freeways before using weapons to smash the victim’s car windows and demand money, the Justice Department said.
On a busy nights, the two men and their conspirators would strike three casino, stealing as much as $130,000…