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.”

 http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/bronx-bandit-scared-victims-syringe-15-years-article-1.2111717

US judges know how to hand it out. Or, as the reporter said, “This needle bandit got the sharp end of justice.”

Wonderful