BRONX WOMAN FACING UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ROBBING A‘MARK’ AT A THREE CARD MONTE CARD GAME ON FORDHAM ROAD

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today the conviction of a Bronx woman who robbed a construction worker whom she and two accomplices had lured into a three-card monte card scam.

Julia Ayala, 35, was found guilty of Robbery in the 2nd degree, a Class C felony offense and Grand larceny in the 4th degree, a Class a misdemeanor offense, following a jury trial before State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Dawson. The judge set sentencing for Thursday, July 12, 2007 in Part T-31.

Ayala, a predicate felony offender, is facing a determinate sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment. She has two prior felony convictions for illegal drug possession and numerous misdemeanor convictions for promoting gambling.

Ayala, of 1165 Morris Avenue, was convicted of ‘acting-in-concert’ with two men in robbing a 26-year-old construction worker, David Fontanel, who was shopping on Fordham Road on August 26, 2006. Fontanel was aggressively lured into playing the three card monte card game the trio was running on the corner of Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue. When Fontanel took a large wad of cash out of his pocket to look for a $20 bill, one of the accomplices grabbed him around his waist. Ayala then struggled with Fontanel before managing to snatch the $500 that he was clutching. Once she had grabbed the money, Ayala started running after first slipping the cash to her accomplice, who fled immediately. When Fontanel started to chase Ayala, a second accomplice stepped in and blocked his path temporarily. Ayala ran into the IND subway station at Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse. Police Officer Jorge Arbaje arrested Ayala a few minutes later when Fontanel arrived at the subway station and identified her as one of the people who had robbed him.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Antonetta Stancu and Brian Rudner.