04/16/2010

News / Paterson Man Sentenced to Prison for Robberies

TRENTON - Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that a Paterson man was sentenced to state prison today for committing two robberies in the city in 2008. A second man was sentenced to probation for acting as a getaway driver.

According to Director Taylor, Laverne McDowell, 21, of Paterson, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, including nearly 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act, by Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Caposela in Passaic County. McDowell pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to charges of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, and two counts of second-degree conspiracy.

Also today, Judge Caposela sentenced Eric Rivera, 40, of Paterson, to three years of probation. Rivera pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to third-degree conspiracy, admitting that he acted as a getaway driver for one of the robberies.

A third man, Christopher North, 25, of Jersey City, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 14. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to first-degree robbery and second-degree conspiracy.

The charges stem from investigations by the Paterson Police Department, assisted by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office. The defendants were charged in a state grand jury indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau on Feb. 10, 2009.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Ondris prosecuted the defendants and represented the Division of Criminal Justice at the sentencing hearing.

The investigation revealed that on the night of March 3, 2008, North and McDowell, both wearing masks, got out of a car and confronted a man walking on East 18th Street near 4th Avenue in Paterson. The men demanded the victim’s wallet, and when he refused, one of the men drew a handgun and shot the victim in the face. The victim survived.

McDowell also pleaded guilty to a second robbery on Feb. 28, 2008, in Paterson. McDowell and another man, Raul Gonzalez, robbed a man after forcing their way into an apartment on Paxton Street. Gonzalez pointed a handgun at the victim and punched him the face, while McDowell took $40 from the victim’s wallet. Gonzalez, 41, of Paterson, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and second-degree conspiracy. He was sentenced on Feb. 22, to seven years in state prison, including nearly six years of parole ineligibility.

Rivera was the getaway driver for the Feb. 28 robbery. Another defendant, Elsa Saez, 20, of Paterson, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft and third-degree conspiracy for acting as the getaway driver in the March 3 robbery. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.

Detective Ador Flores of the Paterson Police Department led the investigation into the March 3 robbery, and Detective Jimmy Maldonado of the Paterson Police Department led the investigation into the Feb. 28 robbery. They conducted the investigations with Detective Richard DeJesus, Detective Sgt. Patrick Murray, Detective Sgt. Douglas Romary and Detective Edial Lugo of the Paterson Police Department, and Cpl. Joseph Zughbi from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office. Additional Paterson police officers provided assistance.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases10/pr20100416c.html

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