Crime

Man Gets 12.5 Years in Federal Prison for Carjacking Couple, Breaking Into Home at Gunpoint and Assaulting Male

ST. CROIX — United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Thursday that Joel G. Rivera, 37, of St. Croix, was sentenced by District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis to 150 months incarceration for his conviction on carjacking and using a firearm during a violent crime, followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000.00, a special assessment of $200.00, and $1,600.00 restitution. According to court documents, in the early morning hours of September 10, 2017, Rivera, along with 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. Thereafter, 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 ...