Man Sentenced in String of Robberies in Burlington and Mercer Counties

A Mercer County man has been sentenced to 15 years, eight months prison for committing four armed robberies of commercial establishments in Burlington and Mercer counties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Wednesday afternoon.

Samuel Matias Cruz, 36, formerly of Trenton, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies.

He must also serve three years of supervised release.

Between September of 2012 and March of 2013, Cruz and other conspirators participated in a series of violent armed robberies of various commercial establishments in the Trenton area, including gas stations, restaurants, travel agencies and money-remitting businesses, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.

Cruz and others used guns and physically restrained victims with plastic zip ties before stealing large amounts of money in several robberies.

In one incident that took place in December of 2012, Cruz and two other men robbed the Sabor Latino Bar in Trenton.

During this robbery, the men held five people who were at the bar at gunpoint before restraining them by tying their hands with plastic zip ties.

Cruz and the other conspirators then stole about $12,000 from the bar’s cash register, as well as about $2,000 in cash and jewelry from the bar’s customers.

On Dec. 29, 2012, Cruz participated in the robbery of the Woodrow Wilson Service Plaza Sunoco Gas Station on the New Jersey Turnpike in Hamilton.

Cruz and another conspirator entered the station carrying handguns and physically restrained a Sunoco employee with plastic zip ties.

The men stole about $26,000 from the station’s cash register before fleeing.

Fishman credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George P. Belsky; the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri; and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

He also thanked officers from the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Rick Fuentes, the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Director Ernest Parrey, Jr., and the Westampton Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Joseph Otto, for their roles in the case.