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Jimmy German rejected a plea offer from prosecutors and lost big when it came time to face the music.
Superior Court Judge Justine A. Niccollai sentenced German to 27 years in state prison -- 85% of which must be served under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act before he’ll be eligible for parole -- during a brief court proceeding on March 31.
That’s 23 years before German will taste freedom again, longer than he's been alive.
A guilty plea to a lesser charge, or charges, likely would’ve gotten German a bit less than half that time, maybe even a third.
Jurors ended up convicting him on Feb. 22 of four counts of robbery along with illegal gun possession and the unlawful taking of a vehicle, in connection with the Jan. 29, 2021 armed robbery spree.
Senior Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Robert J. Wisse, who secured the verdicts, outlined the incidents:
- At 5:30 a.m., German robbed a 45-year-old man of his belongings – including cash and two cellphones – near the corner of 21st Avenue and E. 22nd Street;
- At 6:20 a.m., German robbed a 22-year-old man of his personal belongings, including his wallet and cell phone, near the corner of 6th Avenue and E. 19th Street;
- At 7:10 a.m., German robbed a 59-year-old victim of his cash, food, and cell phone in the area of 12th Avenue and E. 28th Street;
- Finally, at 11 a.m., German robbed a 31-year-old man of his cash and cellphone near the corner of Liberty Street and Wayne Avenue.
German was carrying a gun when Paterson police nabbed him two days later. He’s been behind bars ever since.
German will remain there until the New Jersey Department of Corrections assigns him to a state prison.
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