Dover man who robbed wedding rings facing 20 years, report says

Christian Rivera also allegedly tried to hide evidence by swallowing it

DOVER -- A former resident admitted in court Tuesday he used a fake handgun to rob two women of their wedding rings and unsuccessfully attempted to rob a third, the Daily Record reported.

Christian Rivera, 31, faces up to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced in October, of which he would be required to serve at least 17 before earning parole eligibility, but his attorney plans to seek a sentence of 10 years. Several charges against Rivera, including tampering with evidence, are expected to be dismissed.

River admitted committing the robberies over the course of a few days, the first on April 18, 2012, in Rockaway Township, followed by another robbery exactly a week later in Roxbury.

In a third robbery, on April 24 in Wharton, Rivera failed to get the victim's ring after she used to a shopping cart to shield herself, the Daily Record also reported.

Rivera had also been accused of tampering with evidence when he allegedly swallowed one of the stolen rings as police pursued him, then later tried to hide it in legal documents after the item passed through his system while Rivera was incarcerated. But the ring was found by corrections officers, authorities at the time said.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook