November 2, 10

NEWS / Essex County Man Sentenced to State Prison for Possessing Heroin and Illegal Hand Guns

Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that an Essex County man was sentenced to state prison late Friday for possessing heroin within 1,000 feet of a school property with the intent to distribute and for illegally possessing hand guns.

According to Director Taylor, Giancarlo Bonilla, 31, of Newark, was sentenced to six years in state prison with three years of parole ineligibility by Superior Court Judge Robert H. Gardner in Essex County. The sentence was based on Bonilla’s Sept. 16, 2009 guilty plea to second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (heroin) with intent to distribution within 1,000 feet of school property.

In pleading guilty, Bonilla admitted that on or about June 6, 2008, he possessed heroin that he intended to distribute. The residence from which Bonilla intended to distribute the heroin was within 1,000 feet of McKinley Street School and/or St. Lucy School, both located in Newark. Bonilla also admitted that he illegally possessed two 9mm handguns. The guns and the heroin were found as a result of a search warrant executed by the New Jersey State Police on June 6, 2008.

Detective Marc Friedenberger of the New Jersey State Police and Deputy Attorney General Richard Queen were assigned to the investigation. Queen represented the Division of Criminal Justice at the sentencing.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases10/pr20101101c.html