A Bronx thief who used a hypodermic syringe to threaten and rob 10 victims was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison.
Angel Cintron, 41, was handed the stiff sentence for threatening his victims — one as young as 11 years old — with a needle he claimed was infected with the AIDS virus, before swiping their cellphones, iPods and other gadgets.
The syringe scoundrel went on the robbery spree in 2012 on well-trafficked E. Tremont Ave., said prosecutors.
Cintron had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery in the first degree, one count of third-degree robbery, and another count of attempting to sell narcotics.
His attorney Richard Barton told The News afterward that the bandit was a lifelong heroin addict.
He claimed that Cintron did not truly intend to injure his victims.
“He really thought of it like a scam,” said Barton, noting that prosecutors never presented evidence that the hypodermic needles were infected.
“I don’t believe he ever meant to hurt anybody.”
US judges know how to hand it out. Or, as the reporter said, “This needle bandit got the sharp end of justice.”
Wonderful