Man sentenced in Keyport home invasion

FREEHOLD — Choyce Schwartz, 35, of Long Branch, was sentenced Aug. 8 to a 6.5-year state prison term for the first-degree crime of armed robbery, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

This term is subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires that Schwartz serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Edward M. Neafsey follows the entry of a guilty plea by Schwartz on June 16.

The guilty plea was entered into pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement between Schwartz and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office entered into the plea agreement after consultation with the victims, and the victims approved of the terms of the plea agreement before it was entered into, according to the press release.

The armed robbery charge resulted from an investigation, which revealed that on Jan. 7, 2007, at approximately 11:30 p.m., three men forced their way into a Second Avenue home in Keyport. One of the men posed as a police officer.

At least two of the men were armed with handguns when they entered the residence, the press release said. Three individuals — two men and one woman — were already inside the residence when the three men entered it.

The intruders bound the woman and one of the men with duct tape and proceeded to ransack the home. The other man who was in the residence at the time of the invasion was in the basement and was unaware of what was transpiring. Cash and jewelry were stolen during the home invasion.

The investigation revealed that Schwartz later sold some of the proceeds of the robbery at several pawnshops in Atlantic City, according to the press release.

No one else has been charged in connection with the home invasion and robbery.

Two females, Abenna Higgs, 35, of Freehold, and Lawana Harris, 38, of Newark, were charged with receiving stolen property and fencing. On June 27, Harris pleaded guilty to the disorderly persons charge of fencing and received a fine. The charges against Higgs remain open.