Former Rutgers football player receives 15-year sentence after guilty plea

Former Rutgers football player Tejay Johnson pleaded guilty at a court hearing this past Wednesday for home invasions committed in 2015.

Johnson pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery in the first degree, three counts of armed burglary in the second degree and three counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the second degree where the victims, students of the University, were targeted for cash and marijuana, according to myCentralJersey.com.

An investigation, headed by Detectives Drew Weiss and Gregory Morris of the New Brunswick Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, respectively, found that Johnson was involved in three separate instances, at the end of April and early May of 2015, according to the site.

It was found that on April 26, 2015 Johnson and two other masked men forced their way into a home on Prosper Street, while armed, and stole undisclosed amounts of money and marijuana from five Rutgers students, according to the site.

Another home invasion occurred only a day later that was linked to Johnson and another individual, who, armed with a bat and knife, robbed a student of approximately $900 and an undisclosed amount of marijuana, according to the site.

On May 5, 2015, a third home invasion was attempted in a residence hall on Livingston campus with connection to Johnson and another man. The pair tried to force its way into the room but ended up fleeing the scene when those targeted locked the door, according to the site.

In light of a plea agreement, charges Johnson faced surrounding an assault on Delafield Street in late April, have been dismissed. He will be sentenced to 15 years in a New Jersey state prison, without early release, and will have to serve 85 percent of his term before the possibility of parole.