A Massachusetts man already serving a 20-year prison sentence has received an additional 20 to 22 years behind bars for his role in a home invasion in which a Purple Heart was stolen.
The Telegram & Gazette reports that Timothy Lavin, of Leicester, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty last month to home invasion, armed robbery and gun charges.
Authorities say Lavin and two other men broke into the Leicester home in January 2014, bound and gagged three occupants, and then stole jewelry and other items, including the medal. The medal was awarded to the father of one victim, a Marine wounded on Iwo Jima. It was never recovered.
The sentence is to be served at the conclusion of Lavin's current 20-year sentence for a 2010 home invasion in Worcester.
