BELLEVILLE –
A 21-year-old Belleville man faces up to 30 years in prison following his conviction last week for two armed assaults in Newark in 2014.
Last Wednesday, Jan. 20, after two hours of deliberation, a Superior Court jury sitting in Newark found Freddies Cresporios guilty of robbery, aggravated assault and weapons charges, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced.
Assistant Prosecutor David Feldman, who tried the case, said that, on May 13, 2014, Cresporios, armed with a firearm, robbed a man on the 600 block of Sixth Ave. in Newark, taking cash, a cell phone, a backpack and keys.
Approximately 17 hours later, Cresporios attacked a woman and her son on the 100 block of Berkeley Ave., chasing her and the son down the street brandishing a rifle.
Following the trial before Judge Richard Sules, jurors convicted Cresporios of all eight counts in the indictment against him: one count of first-degree robbery, one of conspiracy to commit robbery, two of aggravated assault and four weapons offenses.
“During the week of May 13, 2014, this defendant unleashed a wave of criminality within a two-block radius that put families and ordinary residents in fear,’’ said Feldman.
“People who were going about their daily lives were literally threatened by Cresporios with a rifle. Thankfully, the jury reached a verdict that will remove him from society for many years.’’
Sentencing is scheduled for March 7.
– Karen Zautyk
