Joshua Perez, Armed Carjackings and Robberies, New Jersey 2020

Trenton Man Charged with String of Armed Carjackings and Robberies

A Trenton man has been charged with a string of armed carjackings and armed robberies, including the armed robbery of a commercial establishment in Trenton, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced today.

Joshua Perez, 22, of Trenton, is charged by complaint with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of carjacking, three counts of possession of and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony offense.

Perez is currently in custody on unrelated charges. He will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman at a date to be determined.

According to the criminal complaint filed today, law enforcement officers investigated a series of armed robberies and carjackings in and around Trenton in late 2020. The investigation revealed that Perez, a previously convicted felon, and other individuals committed at least three of those armed carjackings and robberies.

On Oct. 10, 2020, law enforcement responded to a report of an armed robbery and carjacking of a vehicle in Trenton. The victims reported that they were exiting their car when three men got out of a white sedan, pointed handguns at them, and demanded their money and cell phones. Two of the subjects fled in the white sedan and one drove away in the victim’s car.

The case was investigated as part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Mercer County, New Jersey. The VCI was formed in August 2020 by the U.S. Attorney.

The charges against Perez carry significant penalties. The Hobbs Act robbery count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The two carjacking counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence each carry a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison, which must run consecutive to each other and to any other sentence imposed, and a maximum term of life in prison. The felon-in-possession count carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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