86°
Brian Alston, 47, of Hillside must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he's eligible for parole due to his two prior convictions.
Alston walked into 1036 Bergen St. Aug. 18, 2017, and asked a clerk for change. But he came back that afternoon, wearing the same distinctive clothing as well as a mask and hoodie, and demanded a box containing money from lottery sales. He flashed a fake handgun.
Both encounters were caught on surveillance video.
In June, he was found guilty of robbery, weapons offenses and endangering the welfare of a child. One of the victims of his robbery was a juvenile, authorities said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Essex and receive free news updates.
