Gun-Toting Engagement Ring Thief Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

MORRISTOWN – A Morris County man guilty of stealing engagement rings from women at gunpoint has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Christian Rivera, 31, of Dover, was sentenced Thursday for his role in two armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery in three different Morris County towns in 2012.

On April 18, 2012, Rivera approached a victim in a Rockaway Township parking lot, showed his gun, and took the victim’s engagement ring, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said.

Just six days later, Rivera attempted the same crime at the Wharton ShopRite, but was unsuccessful, Knapp said.

A day later, Rivera showed his gun to another victim in the Succasunna ShopRite and stole the engagement ring, Knapp said.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery in September of this year. Judge Stephen Taylor sentenced Rivera to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory 85-percent being served before parole eligibility.

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