Trenton man was arrested in investigation by New Jersey State Police

TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a Trenton man was sentenced to 30 years in prison today as a result of his trial conviction for selling four guns – including two semi-automatic weapons – during an investigation by the New Jersey State Police. In the investigation, detectives also seized numerous oxycodone pills from the man, who was dealing them out of his residence.

Martin Delvalle, 53, of Trenton, was sentenced today to 30 years in state prison, including 15 years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw Jr. in Mercer County. Delvalle was convicted at trial on Nov. 9, 2017 by a Mercer County jury of four counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, four counts of unlawful disposition of a weapon, and counts of possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute, possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a park, possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, and possession of oxycodone.

Delvalle was sentenced to 20 years, including 10 years of parole ineligibility, for first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and 10 years, including five years of parole ineligibility, for second-degree possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute, with the sentences to run consecutively. The charge of unlawful possession of a weapon is a first-degree offense if the defendant has a prior felony conviction that falls under the No Early Release Act. Delvalle’s prior convictions include a first-degree sexual assault conviction for raping a young woman in 2001, as well as charges of aggravated assault, robbery and burglary.

Deputy Attorney General Erik Daab, who is Deputy Bureau Chief, and Deputy Attorney General Jamie Picard tried Delvalle and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. They were assisted at trial by Analyst Nathalie Kurzawa. Delvalle was arrested in an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit. Detective Douglas Muraglia was lead detective for the State Police, assisted by Detective Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Burke, Detective Sgt. Blair Astbury and Detectives Carlos Estevez, Kartik Birudaraju, and Richard Pogorzelski.

“This sentence ensures that Delvalle will spend many years in prison, where he can’t fuel gun violence by selling deadly weapons, or add victims to the opioid epidemic by dealing addictive pain pills, or brutally rape a vulnerable woman like he did in 2001,” said Attorney General Grewal. “We’ve made Trenton safer by removing this dangerous man from the community. I commend our trial team and the State Police for their outstanding work in securing this lengthy sentence.”

“We’ll continue to partner with the State Police to stop the flow of illegal guns and opioids into our communities,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We’ll also continue to seek lengthy sentences for dangerous career criminals like Delvalle.”

“By participating in the illegal distribution of oxycodone and handguns, Delvalle concocted the perfect recipe to destroy a community,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Due to the hard work of the State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit and our law enforcement partners, Delvalle will no longer be able to peddle instruments of addiction and death to the residents of our State capital.”

Delvalle was arrested in an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit, during which Delvalle sold four guns to a cooperating witness between December 2014 and March 2015. Those guns included an Armi Model AP 80 AK .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, a Kel-Tec 9mm Luger semi-automatic handgun, a .44-caliber Magnum revolver, and a .32-caliber revolver. The defendant sold the guns out of his residence on Academy Street in Trenton. When the State Police arrested Delvalle on April 15, 2015 and executed a search warrant at his home, they seized a stash of 184 oxycodone pills for which he had no valid prescriptions. Detectives determined that Delvalle had also been illicitly selling the opioid pain pills.

Delvalle was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2002 for the rape of a 23-year-old college student. Delvalle assaulted the woman after she got off of a bus in Trenton on the night of Feb. 27, 2001. Delvalle dragged her to a vacant lot and raped her.

Defense Attorney:
George Somers Jr., Esq., Princeton, N.J.

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