Luxe Watch Thief Pleads Guilty In Armed Crime Spree: Feds

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A man who stole millions of dollars in luxury watches in Queens and across the boroughs, shooting a person in the process, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court, prosecutors announced.

Victor Rivera, 30, admitted to nabbing about $2 million worth of luxury watches in a string of robberies dating back to October 2019, according to press release from federal prosecutors.

In Long Island City, Rivera stole a Richard Mille watch worth $250,000 and an Audemars Piguet worth more than $125,000 according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Rivera also admitted to shooting a person while stealing a $148,000 Richard Mille watch in Brooklyn on June 11, 2020, according to federal prosecutors.

Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of "conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery," a federal law that criminalizes the use of a gun in robberies, among other things, prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that Rivera's "year-long spree of armed robberies" was an example of "terrifying conduct."

Rivera was indicted in November 2020, and last July hit with another string of charges, including a gun charge for which he could have faced life in prison, federal prosecutors announced at the time.

Rivera, who has yet to be sentenced, could now face a maximum of 20 years in prison, officials said.

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