Two Newark Men Sentenced For Gas Station Robberies

Two Newark men have received lengthy prison sentences for a string of gas station robberies that occurred during a one-day crime spree in northern New Jersey last year.

Federal prosecutors say 22-year-old Abdul Muhammad received a 19-year sentence on Wednesday, while 24-year-old Lamar Sanders was ordered to serve more than 17 years. Both will also have to serve five years of supervised release once they are freed from prison.

Muhammad and Sanders admitted robbing two gas stations in Newark and another in Elizabeth in March 2011.

Both men assaulted station employees during the robberies, while Muhammad used a handgun to shoot and wound an attendant during one robbery. He also fired the weapon during another robbery, but did not hit any station workers.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)