NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A New York City man admitted to being part of a group that robbed jewelers of watches and other goods worth over $2 million, officials announced Wednesday.
Victor Rivera, 30, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty Wednesday to being part of the armed robbery scheme, spanning between October 2019 and November 2020. He will be sentenced in April.
“As he has now admitted, Victor Rivera committed a year-long spree of armed robberies and attempted robberies of jewelers and other owners of luxury watches, threatening his victims with guns and, during the course of one robbery, shooting a victim. Now Rivera awaits sentencing for this terrifying conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
Rivera’s indictment said that he and others agreed to rob victims of luxury watches worths as much as six figures each — including popular brands like Richard Mille, Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
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Officials said the watches were owned by jewelers as part of their Manhattan Diamond District businesses.
Rivera used guns to commit many of the robberies, and even shot a person on one occasion.
The yearlong spree included 11 documented crimes, many of which took place in New York City — including in Long Island City, Jamaica, Rego Park and an unknown neighborhood Brooklyn, where a victim was shot.
Robberies were also carried out in Woodbury, on Long Island, and in Hoboken and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
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All of the crimes involved at least one co-conspirator, and one of the robberies was unsuccessful.
According to estimates, the combined crimes netted watches, necklaces and more worth over $2 million. The most expensive item stolen was a $500,000 Richard Mille as part of the Rego Park robbery.
Rivera pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, which has a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The Hobbs Act prohibits robbery or extortion affecting commerce "in any way or degree,” according to the DOJ.
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