Keansburg man sentenced for impersonating cop in armed robbery

The Keansburg man convicted of staging an armed robbery in a borough house and abducting two people inside in 2012 is given an aggregate 20 years in a New Jersey state prison.

Steven P. Rinck, 49, was sentenced in a Monmouth County courtroom in Freehold. Information from acting County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni indicates that Rinck is required to serve 85 percent of the term, or 17 years, before parole consideration, under New Jersey's No Early Release Act.

Rinck was convicted of 15 related counts on Christmas Eve 2015 for the incident that was reported at about 9 PM on October 21, 2012 in a Seeley Avenue home.

According to investigators, Rinck, toting a handgun, convinced the individual in the house that he was a member of New Jersey State Police, taking cash and drugs from the victim, as well as from a friend of the victim who arrived as it was taking place.

Authorities said that Rinck then forced the pair at gunpoint into a car, releasing the visitor a short while later but taking the home dweller on a search for drugs and guns.

He was released after giving Rinck the first name that entered his mind, "Tito," a character in a cartoon he was watching when Rinck arrived, and called Keansburg police.

Investigators determined that there were other victims.

Rinck's conviction included

• Two first-degree armed robbery counts
• Two second-degree kidnapping charges
• Second-degree charges of certain persons not to have firearms, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon
• Two third-degree charges of terroristic threats
• Two fourth-degree counts of aggravated assault by pointing a firearm
• Four fourth-degree charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer.

The 20-year sentence for armed robbery also includes five years of parole supervision upon release.

Rinck was given a 15-year concurrent term for a second armed robbery charge, along with kidnapping and weapons counts, along with one-year concurrent terms for each impersonation charge. The remaining charges were merged into the armed robbery count.