The getaway driver convicted in the robbery of a Riverdale high-end luxury car rental business of $100,000 in jewelry and cell phones has been sentenced to 50 years in state prison.
Melvin Banks, 37, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, later sent message that threatened the business owner and the man’s family, demanding that the charges be dropped, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.
The now 35-year-old man who committed the Dec. 4, 2021 robbery — Daniel A. Lind — previously pleaded guilty to robbery and a weapons offense and was sentenced to eight years in state prison in December 2022, according to Department of Corrections records.
Banks was scheduled to return a rented Mercedes S580 to the business at 9 p.m on the night of the robbery. A half-hour later, Lind held up the business owner at gunpoint and fired a gun near him during the robbery, authorities said. Lind then fled into the waiting car driven by Banks.
Surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed Banks and Lind buying black gloves and cable ties at a local Home Depot prior to the robbery, officials said.
A jury in February convicted Banks of conspiracy, motor vehicle theft, armed robbery and tampering.
He was sentenced to 30 years on the robbery charges and another 20 years for first-degree witness tampering related to the threats.
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
