A man was sentenced to five years in state prison for his role in an attack on the owner of Ray’s Candy Store and other attacks in 2023, the Manhattan district attorney said in a statement Wednesday.
The Manhattan DA’s office said Gerald Barth previously pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree attempted assault for his role in an assault and robbery spree on the same day in the East Village.
“Gerald Barth attacked three strangers over the span of hours, including an assault at Ray’s Candy store – a pillar of the East Village community,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in a statement. “For his actions, Barth will now serve a state prison term and I thank our prosecutors for securing accountability for the victims.”
According to prosecutors, then-39-year-old Luis Peroza approached then-90-year-old Ray Alvarez outside of his business on Avenue A in the East Village at around 3 a.m. in January 2023, asking Alvarez if he would purchase canned drinks from him.
When Alvarez declined, investigators say Peroza handed Barth the box before turning to Alvarez, saying he would kill him.
According to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Peroza then hit Alvarez in the head using a belt that appeared to have a rock attached to it.
Prosecutors said the attack was part of a robbery spree, in which Peroza also robbed and viciously assaulted two other men afterwards. According to the Manhattan DA’s office, Peroza and Barth demanded money from a 33-year-old man before assaulting him with the same weapon, and then demanded a cigarette from a 51-year-old man before similarly assaulting him.
After the attack, Alvarez suffered a cut on his face, a black eye and fractured facial bones.
In 2024, Peroza was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, followed by five years of supervised probation, after pleading guilty to three first-degree assault charges connected to the attacks, according to officials.