HOLYOKE — A Holyoke man was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Springfield in connection with a string of nine armed robberies of convenience stores across western Massachusetts, including one in Northampton.

Alfredo Aldeco, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 13 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. attorney’s office reported. He was also ordered to pay forfeiture and restitution of $7,375.

In March, Aldeco pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

On Nov. 14, 2018, Aldeco, and co-defendant Emilio Rivera robbed a clerk in a West Springfield convenience store at gunpoint, prosecutors stated.

After forcibly taking cash and cigarettes from the clerk, Aldeco warned the clerk, “If you call the cops, I will come back and kill you.”

The firearm used in the robbery was later found during a search of Rivera’s home, officials said — in a bedroom being occupied by Aldeco. At the time, Aldeco was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction.

The West Springfield heist was the last in a string of nine robberies that took place in Holyoke, Chicopee, Northampton, West Springfield and Agawam over a two-week period. In each of the robberies, Aldeco held store clerks at gunpoint, robbing the stores of almost $8,000 in cash, authorities state.

On July 6, 2023, Rivera was sentenced to six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Federal prosecutors said Massachusetts State Police and the West Springfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee, Northampton and Springfield Police departments provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, chief of the Springfield branch office, prosecuted the case.