Essex County Man Sentenced to 149 Months in Prison for Robbing Drugstore Employees at Gun Point

NEWARK N.J. - An Essex County man who robbed pharmacy employees at gun point was sentenced today to 149 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release before the Honorable William J. Martini, U.S.D.J., in Newark federal court, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

Following a jury trial in October 2025 before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court, Nariq Petes, 27, of Newark, was convicted of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and using and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial:

On December 30, 2023, Petes and Xavier Reyes drove together and entered a pharmacy in Livingston, New Jersey wearing black masks and carrying guns. Once inside the pharmacy, Petes and Reyes brandished handguns and demanded prescription drugs. Petes and Reyes took at least 6 bottles of prescription medication. Three days later, on January 2, 2024, law enforcement arrested Petes at his apartment in Newark, where he was found with stolen medication from the pharmacy. In May 2025, Reyes pled guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a) and Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and was later sentenced to 111 months' imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, members of the Livingston Police Department, under the direction of Gary Marshuetz, and members of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Theodore N. Stephens II, with the investigation leading to these convictions.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael K. O'Leary of the Narcotics/International Trafficking Unit in Newark.

###

Defense counsel: Pasquale F. Giannetta Esq., Newark