PLAYING DUMB?
Sentencing delayed as 2 request evaluations
Saturday, September 27, 2008
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Two Jersey City brothers who admitted they robbed bingo players at a Downtown church have had their sentencing put off nine times between them, but a judge lost patience yesterday and told one of them to await sentencing in jail.

"To protect the public, he will be in jail until sentenced," said state Superior Court Judge Melvin Kracov at what was supposed to be a sentencing hearing for Victor Morales, 23, and Miguel Morales, 22.

Victor Morales was then handcuffed and led out of court.

Victor and Miguel Morales pleaded guilty in May to the Nov. 19, 2006 armed robbery of $6,000 from Our Lady of Czestochowa Church bingo players, officials said.

Both were out on $100,000 bail and Kracov canceled Victor's bail and ordered the money he posted be returned to his family. He will be sentenced Oct. 31.

The brothers have asked to have their sentencings postponed until they can undergo mental evaluations to determine if they are developmentally challenged, as they contend, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Steven Dill said.

The two have not been evaluated yet, but believe if they are deemed developmentally challenged their sentences may be reduced, Dill said.

Yesterday, Victor Morales' lawyer said his client again hadn't gotten the evaluation because his mother had three heart attacks and he was in Pennsylvania caring for her.

Victor Morales had his sentencing postponed four times, including yesterday. Miguel Morales' sentencing has been put off five times, including yesterday.

Miguel Morales told Kracov his girlfriend's water broke Thursday and she went into labor. The judge rescheduled his sentencing for Tuesday.

"The longer the sentence is put off, the longer the victims feel that justice hasn't been served yet," said Dill.

On the day of the robbery, a handful of bingo players had arrived at the church grammar school, at Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard and Grand Street, when two masked gunmen confronted a 58-year-old woman and she collapsed, police said.

They forced the woman into the building, where they ordered a 68-year-old woman and five others to the floor and took the money, police said.

Victor Morales faces up to eight years in prison and Miguel Morales faces up to 10, Dill said.

The robbers specifically demanded a briefcase containing money that was in a closet, police said. That knowledge led investigators to believe they had inside help. Prosecutors think the inside man is Adrian Santana, 25, of Charles Street. He is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and remains at large, Dill said.

A witness gave police a description of the robbers and a third man who was watching the door, and a description of the getaway car, police said.

Cops found the car parked on Bright Street and saw Juan Ortiz, 22, who matched the description of one of the robbers, get into another car. When the car was pulled over, officers found two guns in the car and $2,338 in cash still wrapped in denominations as they had been at the bingo hall, police said.

Police later connected the Morales brothers to the robbery, officials said.