A man was recently convicted of impersonation charges in Essex County Superior Court after presenting himself as an Essex County Sheriff’s Officer in order to obtain information from employees at a restaurant in Nutley, New Jersey.
According to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray, 54-year-old Nutley resident Peter Repoli was charged with impersonation of a law enforcement officer in connection with an incident which occurred on January 26, 2013 at Santini’s Pizzeria, located at 355 Franklin Avenue in Nutley.
Repoli reportedly showed employees a law enforcement badge, requesting the address of a certain individual, and warning them that they would be subject to arrest if they refused. The employees warily promised to attempt to provide him with the address by the following day.
Upon Repoli’s return to the restaurant, those working observed him traveling via bus and became more suspicious, at which time they searched his name on the Internet. The web search displayed his extensive criminal record, which includes 10 previous convictions for a variety of crimes such as robbery, terroristic threats, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Employees subsequently reported the incident to the Nutley Police Department.
Following his arrest, Repoli was tried before Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin, with Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Pustay serving on behalf of the state. In just two days, a jury found Repoli guilty of the charges on Wednesday March 12th.
Pustay has requested that Repoli receive the maximum sentence associated with the offense for which he has been convicted when he is sentenced by Judge Cronin on April 25th. According to N.J.S.A.2C:28-8(b), which governs offenses for impersonating a law enforcement officer, crimes committed under this subsection are classified as those of the fourth degree. Fourth degree offenses are punishable by a maximum term of incarceration of 18 months in New Jersey State Prison.
Considering Repoli’s prior criminal record, it will be interesting to see the sentence that Judge Cronin ultimately imposes in this case.
For more information pertaining to this case, access the following article: Nutley man convicted of impersonating Essex County sheriff’s officer
