A man who admitted to helping run a marijuana growing operation and threatening to shoot an Amazon driver during a racist tirade was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison, authorities said.
John Vincentini, 64, of Lacey, pleaded guilty last year to bias intimidation, possession of an assault firearm and possession of more than one ounce but less than five pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident with the Amazon driver happened on Sept. 5, 2022, when Vincentini followed the driver’s truck into a cul-de-sac and then used his car to block the truck, officials said. Vincentini then confronted the driver and asked him why he was in the area which he referred to as a “racist neighborhood,” the office said.
He then asked the driver whether he wanted him to go back to his car, get his rifle, and shoot the driver in the head, which prompted the deliveryman to drive off and contact the Lacey Township Police Department, investigators said.
On Oct. 5, 2022, Vincentini surrendered to police and was charged with bias intimidation. He was processed and released on a summons pending future appearances in Ocean County Superior Court, officials said.
The investigation into the marijuana-growing operation began on March 15, 2024, when police in Lacey were contacted by local residents to report that a package of marijuana was delivered to their home in a re-purposed Amazon box, authorities said. It was later revealed that Vincentini was the one who delivered the box.
Six days later, detectives searched his home and seized approximately ten pounds of marijuana, 15 marijuana plants, drug paraphernalia associated with the packaging and distribution of narcotics, two assault firearms, a rifle style BB gun, and approximately $150,000, investigators said.
Vincentini and his wife, Karen Vincentini, were both taken into custody at their home and charged, authorities said. They were taken to the Ocean County Jail, where John Vincentini has been held since his arrest.
Karen Vincentini was released from jail on June 7, 2024, but the charges against her were still pending on Friday, a spokesman for the office said.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
