Crime, Regional Interest

Prosecutor: Man Gets 19 Years for Crimes Against a Special Needs Victim

A Monmouth County man has been sentenced to an aggregate 19 years in prison as a result of his October conviction for retaliating against a 63-year old male with special needs, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Tuesday.

Luis Vializ, 49, of Tinton Falls, was sentenced on Friday morning. Upon a motion by the state, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Falcetano found Vializ to be a statutory persistent offender and ordered him to be sentenced to an extended first-degree term of imprisonment.

Vializ was convicted on Oct. 25, 2019 after a three-day trial before Judge Falcetano. The jury found Vializ guilty of: second-degree witness retaliation, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree receiving stolen property.

Vializ was sentenced to 15 years in state prison for the second-degree witness retaliation charge, and a consecutive four-year term in prison for the merged weapons offenses. Vializ was also sentenced to a concurrent 18 months for the fourth-degree receiving stolen property charge.

The case background …

Vializ was found in possession of a stolen bicycle in Neptune Township on Sept. 19, 2018, and following his arrest was informed the victim of the bike theft was a 63-year-old man with special needs. Nearly a month later, on Oct. 11, 2018, Vializ saw that same victim inside of an establishment in the Jumping Brook Plaza in the township, where the bike was secured outside. Upon seeing both the bike and the victim, Vializ used a hammer to repeatedly strike the bike and threatened to strike the special needs victim, in an act of retaliation.

The charges in this case were the result of a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Neptune Township Police Department.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office