MORRIS COUNTY

Dover man gets 20 years in prison for ring thefts

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

Forgiven in court by one of his victims, a weeping and remorseful former Dover resident was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for using an imitation handgun to rob women of their wedding or engagement rings in supermarket parking lots in Morris County in 2012.

One victim, Laurie Anne Trezza, demanded that defendant Christian G. Rivera look at her in a Morris County courtroom as she described how she feared for her life and thought of her husband and four children as Rivera pointed what she believed was a real gun and demanded her wedding ring in April 2012.

"What gave you the right to sneak up on me, invade my personal space, intimidate me with a weapon, threaten my life and demand an incredibly sentimental item from me?" Trezza asked Rivera, who wiped his eyes with a tissue. Trezza said she was furious at first and then fear kicked in and she let Rivera have her ring.

"Little did I know how much I had let go of in that instant. I let go of my security, my inner peace," she said.

"How could I ever trust that a stranger was not going to come up behind me, do something sinister to me or a loved one at the drop of a hat or a turn of the corner? I saw for the first time that there really are bad guys out there. My bubble had burst," Trezza said.

But, Trezza said, years of "core-rotting" anger faded away and she felt sadness and a weight leave her when she learned that Rivera pleaded guilty in September to three counts of robbery he committed in April 2012. She said she realized she could, and did, forgive Rivera.

"Christian, do not allow these circumstances to define you.  Become more than just your labels, more than just a criminal, more than just an inmate. Use your time to make yourself great," Trezza advised.

While Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Bollenbach recommended 20 years in state prison, with 85 percent of the stint to be served before parole consideration, defense lawyer Sharon Kean asked Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor in Morristown to sentence Rivera to 10 years in prison.

Noting that Rivera, now 31, seems to be truly remorseful, the judge said he had to consider Rivera's long criminal record that includes nine prior convictions and time in state prison.  Taylor said that Rivera, who says he reads the Bible everyday and has a renewed faith in God, had opportunities in the past to reform himself.

"I am troubled by your record and there is a strong need to deter others. I think the plea bargain (20 years) is fair and in the interests of justice," Taylor said. The judge also credited Trezza for letting go of her anger at being robbed.

"It's nice to see that she lacks bitterness and has displayed grace and humanity," the judge said of Trezza.

Rivera apologized several times to Trezza, one of three victims who elected to appear at sentencing. He sobbed as he promised: "I will become a better man."

"I was so lost out there," said Rivera, who was being held in the Mercer County jail instead of the Morris County jail for security reasons. "I just want to sincerely apologize to you and your family for all you went through."

Bollenbach, the assistant prosecutor, said that Rivera targeted women in the daytime when they were likely to feel safe as they performed the mundane task of food shopping.

"They are dealing with this incident since it happened. It affects their daily lives," Bollenbach said.

Kean, the defense lawyer, said that Rivera, though he has accepted full responsibility, was raised by a mother who beat him. His biological father was not present in his life and for a time he had a step-father, who for a short time was a positive role model, Kean said.

"There is humanity in Mr. Rivera," Kean said. "He is not fully measured by the acts committed here."

Under the sentence, Rivera will get credit for three years and almost eight months that he has been in custody since his arrest. He must serve at least 17 of the 20 years in prison. With custody credits, he has about 13 years and four months left to serve before parole consideration.

During his guilty plea in September, Rivera acknowledged that he wielded an imitation handgun to put women in bodily fear while stealing their wedding rings on April 18, 2012, in Rockaway Township and on April 25, 2012, in Roxbury. Rivera admitted committing a third robbery in a supermarket parking lot in Wharton on April 24, but he was not successful in getting a ring because the victim fought back by keeping a shopping cart between herself and the robber.

Rivera was apprehended in Denville on April 25, 2012, after he fled his third robbery outside the ShopRite at the Roxbury Mall.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.