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St. Croix Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years for Home Invasion and Carjacking Incidents

A man on St. Croix was sentenced to 12.5 years imprisonment for home invasion and carjacking charges, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday.

Joel G. Rivera, 37, was convicted of carjacking and using a firearm during a violent crime. He was sentenced to 12.5 years of prison time, followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, a special assessment of $200, and $1,600 restitution, according to the press release.

According to court documents, in the early morning of Sept. 10, 2017, Rivera and two assailants broke into a couple’s home in Estate Rust Op Twist while brandishing a firearm. The group physically assaulted the male victim by punching him in the head and threatened to kill the couple while demanding money. After that, at gunpoint, Rivera and his assailants forced the couple into the rear passenger seat of their Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck and drove to the shoreline location where the male victim had left his wallet. After retrieving the wallet, Rivera and his assailants fled in the Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck and a Jeep Wrangler. In addition to the vehicles, Rivera stole $200 cash, two iPhones valued at $600 each and an iPad valued at $200.

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