A prolific robber who held up banks in La Jolla and Torrey Pines was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison and ordered to pay more than $19,000 to the banks he robbed.
Victor Lamar Moore apologized to San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh about the spree and said he had no intent to harm anyone. Moore said he has “sincere penitence, and now I must pay my debt to society.”
Moore’s attorney, Peter Will, said Moore denied using a real gun in any of the hold-ups and said he had “a rough upbringing.” He described Moore, 33, as “a polite, articulate guy.”
After hearing Moore’s statement, Walsh told him, “You obviously have potential.”
Moore admitted the Jan. 4 robbery of a U.S. Bank inside an Albertsons grocery store at 7895 Highland Village Place. He presented a demand note seeking $10,000 to the teller. The teller said she did not have anything near $10,000 and gave him $800. A police officer pulled Moore’s vehicle over on Interstate 5 and found money inside the car.
Moore was also fined $11,686 and given credit for 381 days in jail. The probation department recommended 11 years and four months in prison, while prosecutor Roy Lai urged the 9-year sentence.
Moore also pleaded guilty to holding up a Wells Fargo Bank on La Jolla Village Drive on Aug. 24, 2012, the first bank he robbed. The other banks and a credit union were located in Carmel Mountain, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Solana Beach and San Diego.
Moore also pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of two banks in El Cajon and San Ysidro. The series included hold-ups in 2012 and 2013.
Moore was initially charged with only the Torrey Highlands bank robbery, but other charges were added as the investigation continued.
–Neal Putnam