Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*           Date: April 20, 2010
 
 

       

 

 

 

 

 

Perth Amboy man sentenced for selling gun

 

 

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan announced today that a member of a street gang has been sentenced to serve up to 9 ½ years in a New Jersey state prison for selling a handgun to an undercover police officer.

 

Marcus A. Vasquez (DOB 8/7/83) of Perth Amboy also was ordered to serve at least five years in prison before he can be eligible for parole.

 

Vasquez, a member of the Bloods street gang, was sentenced on April 16, 2010, by Superior Court Judge Barbara Stolte during a hearing at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick after he pleaded guilty on February 5, 2010.

 

 Vasquez admitted selling the gun to the undercover officer and admitted that due to a prior conviction, he was prohibited from carrying a weapon. The prior conviction involved possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute it within 1,000 feet of a school.

 

The defendant pleaded guilty following negotiations with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Kuberiet.

 

Vasquez was arrested and charged on May 27, 2009, after he met the undercover officer, accepted a $600 payment and then gave him the handgun, a .357 Magnum revolver at a location near Amboy Avenue in Perth Amboy. The officer was a member of the New Jersey State Police.