Ridge Man Gets 15 Years for Robbery, Gun Possession

(Photo Courtesy of the Suffolk County DA's Office) Wilfredo Figueroa has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery and gun possession.

Wilfredo Figueroa, 29, of

A Ridge man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting a 27-year-old male in the face during a robbery.

During the early morning hours of June 22, 2022, Wilfredo Figueroa, 29, shot a 27-year-old male in the face while robbing him of his personal belongings. After the robbery, Figueroa immediately fled the scene and went back to his residence. The victim was transported to a local hospital, but due to the severity of his injuries, he was placed in a medically induced coma.

Later that day, police pulled over Figueroa for a traffic violation, and found him in possession of two illegal loaded handguns and two high-capacity magazines.

Additionally, law enforcement recovered items belonging to the 27-year-old victim inside Figueroa’s vehicle, including the victim’s identification, car keys, cellphone, and several credit cards. Figueroa was then placed under arrest.

After the victim awoke from his coma, a bullet fragment that was lodged in his neck was removed and given to the Suffolk County Police Department. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted a ballistics report, which concluded that the bullet fragment recovered from the victim’s neck was fired from one of the loaded handguns recovered from Figueroa’s vehicle.

On July 25, 2023, Figueroa pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Judge John B. Collins to first-degree robbery, a Class B violent felony, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C violent felony. On October 10, 2023, Collins sentenced Figueroa to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

“This defendant’s crimes of robbery and shooting a man in the face were serious and the extreme violence employed was gratuitous,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Today’s prison sentence imposed will not only ensure that the defendant is held responsible for his crimes, but also ensures that our streets here in Suffolk County are safer.”