A New Bedford, Massachusetts, man who robbed other men he'd set up on dates with his girlfriend through dating websites has been sentenced to serve up to four years in state prison, authorities said Monday.
Luis Santos, 22, had pleaded guilty to three armed robbery charges, according to a statement from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office Monday. Fall River Superior Court Judge Sharon Donatelle sentenced him to a prison term of two and a half to a four years.
Santos and his girlfriend, Kerstyn Gross, 23, created dating profiles for her on different platforms. Prosecutors identified three incidents where Santos robbed men at knifepoint after lying in wait while Gross met up with them.
The first robbery happened in January 2019 in Dartmouth, after Gross pretended to have a flat tire while driving a man to their planned date, prosecutors said. Santos jumped out of the woods with a knife after she stopped the car, robbed the man and fled the scene with Gross.
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In December of that year, prosecutors asid, Santos robbed a man with a machete who met with Gross at a Dunkin' Donuts in New Bedford. The third robbery occurred several days after, when a man met with Gross outside a residence in New Bedford, only for Santos to rob him with a large knife when they went inside.
At the time of his arrest for the robberies, Santos was already waiting for a final disposition on drug charges in New Bedford District Court, according to prosecutors.
Gross pleaded guilty in September to theft charges and was sentenced to two and a half years in the Bristol County jail, prosecutors said. She was also ordered to begin mental health counseling and stay away from both Santos and their victims.
