A second man has been found guilty in connection with the misdirected drug heist involving a fake pizza delivery in Moorhead last fall, in a verdict issued by a Clay County judge Friday.
John Jose Kukert Jr., one of five men accused in the Nov. 8 armed robbery, was found guilty on felony counts of aiding in first-degree aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree aggravated robbery, second-degree assault and first-degree burglary.
Clay County Attorney Brian Melton said the total prison time on the convictions could be six years or more, based on Minnesota sentencing guidelines.
Kukert's trial was heard by Judge Michael Kirk in a two-day bench trial in Clay County District Court that ended Wednesday.
One of the two suspects who testified for the state, Joshua Lowe, told police he and Kukert came up with the plan to rob a marijuana dealer, staging a fake pizza man to get the residents to open the door.
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They hit the wrong unit of the apartment complex at 908 Eighth St. S. and took a wallet and a phone from the two Concordia College students who lived there, according to court records.
Kirk said in a memorandum to the ruling that the accomplice testimony from Lowe, which by state law isn't enough alone for a conviction, was backed up by testimony from victims and other evidence.
Noah Anderson, another of the five men charged in the case, was found guilty in a jury trial last month and is awaiting sentence.
Kirk set an Aug. 30 sentencing hearing for Kukert.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
