MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A Westchester teen charged with committing a string of robberies in Central Park last summer pleaded guilty Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Jesse Wasserman, 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery in exchange for 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. He had faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
He and a friend, 18-year-old Alexander Greene of the Upper East Side, were indicted on charges they mugged three people in Central Park overnight Aug. 4 - 5 while flashing a revolver.
They made off with a wallet, cell phone, debit card, ring and ID, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Wasserman tried to ride off on a stolen bicycle.
Wasserman has been out on $150,000 bail since his arraignment and is expected to turn himself in to begin his prison sentence on Aug. 23. In exchange for his plea, he will received "youthful offender status," meaning that his criminal record will be sealed if he remains out of trouble.
Greene, whose case is still pending, faces up to 25 years if convicted.
Wasserman's lawyer said Tuesday that the mugging was Greene's idea, and that Wasserman was just a "tag along."
While the weapon was initially described as a toy gun, Steiner said Wasserman later admitted it was real and helped authorities locate it, according to his lawyer.
"[Wasserman] was a troubled young man who chose the wrong person to hang out with that night," Steiner said.
Wasserman is expected to be formally sentenced by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber on Sept. 6.
