TRENTON, NJ – Joshua M. Perez, a 25-year-old resident of Trenton, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison following a series of violent crimes, including armed carjackings and robberies. The sentencing was announced today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and carried out by U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court.
Perez had previously entered a guilty plea to a five-count Superseding Information, which included two counts of carjacking, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
The criminal activities for which Perez was convicted began on October 10, 2020, when he and unidentified accomplices forcibly took a vehicle from two individuals in Trenton. During this incident, the victims were threatened with handguns and robbed of their belongings, including their vehicle.
Subsequent crimes linked to Perez occurred on December 5, 2020. He, along with another conspirator, carjacked a victim who was sitting in his parked car, stealing the victim’s money and cell phone. They used the stolen car to commit an armed robbery at a nearby gas station, where two individuals were assaulted and the gas station attendant was robbed at gunpoint.
Perez’s criminal spree culminated on December 7, 2020, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence. During the search, Perez brandished a firearm at officers and was subsequently arrested.
In addition to his prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Perez to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims, addressing the financial and emotional damages inflicted during his crime spree.
