Previously Convicted of Robbery, Attempted Robbery
A Bay Shore man has been convicted of robbing a laundromat last year.
On April 11, 2023, Emilio Hernandez robbed a laundromat on the Sunrise Highway Service Road in Bay Shore with a starter pistol while wearing a hat, mask, and sunglasses to disguise himself. He fled the laundromat in a black Honda and was filmed driving away by a witness. Members of the Suffolk County Police Department stopped Hernandez in that same vehicle a short time later in close proximity to the laundromat. Police recovered numerous items from the Honda, including cash proceeds from the robbery, the clothing that Hernandez wore as a disguise during the robbery, and portions of the rubber gloves he wore at the time of the robbery.
On February 5, 2025, Hernandez, 54, was convicted of Robbery in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony, and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, an Unclassified misdemeanor, after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz.
Prior to the verdict in this case, Hernandez was previously convicted of five felonies, many of which were violent, and eight misdemeanors. Most recently, in 2011, Hernandez was convicted of Robbery in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony, and was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. In 1995, he was convicted of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a Class C felony, and was sentenced to four to eight years in prison. In 1994, Hernandez was convicted of Robbery in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, and was sentenced to 30 months to five years in prison. In 1989, he was convicted of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a Class C felony, and was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison.
“This defendant is a career criminal as evidenced by his lengthy criminal record, including multiple convictions for robbery and attempted robbery,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We will ask the court to sentence this defendant to the maximum period of incarceration allowable under the law. Protecting our citizens and the local businesses that employ them is of the utmost importance to my office.”
Hernandez is due back in court for sentencing on March 12, 2025, and faces up to 15 years in prison.