Paterson man sentenced to 17 years for robbery

A Paterson man was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison Tuesday after he was implicated in a string of robberies that targeted fast-food restaurants and grocery stores across North Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

Adonijah Lindsay, 25, pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2010, in federal court in Newark to one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in connection with the robbery of a Dunkin’ Donuts in Elmwood Park, Fishman said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton also sentenced Lindsay to five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $4,391 in restitution to be distributed to the restaurants and stores where the robberies took place.

Lindsay and his brother, Anthony Lindsay, 27, were part of a crew that participated in five additional robberies in North Jersey, including a deli in North Bergen, a Popeye’s Chicken in Lodi, a Burger King in Little Falls, a grocery store in Jersey City and a Domino’s Pizza in Hoboken, the government said.

During the Domino’s Pizza and the Burger King robberies, the Lindsay brothers forced employees and customers into the restrooms at gunpoint brothers, the government said.

Anthony Lindsay pleaded guilty to the same charges on Feb. 2, 2010, and will be sentenced at a later date.