Man sentenced for murder of Brooklyn cafe owner Joshua Rubin

One of the men charged in the brutal slaying of Brooklyn cafe owner Joshua Rubin on Halloween in 2011 has been sentenced to federal prison.

Michael Mazur, 27, was dealt an 18-year sentence for his participation in the planned robbery and murder of Rubin, who was shot and killed over one pound of marijuana over 10 years ago.

Mazur, along with Kevin Taylor, 28, and Gary Robles, 38, planned to rob Rubin by luring him to a McDonald Avenue apartment in Brooklyn under the guise of purchasing the marijuana. Robles agreed to bring a firearm, while Mazur stood outside as a lookout.

When Rubin entered the apartment, Taylor and Robles demanded he hand over the marijuana. When he refused, Robles shot and killed Rubin.

The three proceeded to stuff  Rubin’s body in the trunk of a car. They drove to rural Pennsylvania where they put his body in a garbage can, doused it with a fire accelerant and lit the body on fire. They then drove back to New York in the early morning of Nov. 1.

Prosecutors said the trio could have saved Rubin’s life if they had sought medical help — instead of trying to cover up the crime.

Rubin’s burnt corpse was discovered in a wooded area near Allentown the next day, but the case went cold for years. The three were arrested in 2020 after Taylor paid hush money to keep a  potential witness from snitching on him, officials said.

Over 230 pounds of marijuana and approximately $200,000 were found in Mazur’s home at the time of his arrest.

In September, Mazur pleaded guilty to robbery. Taylor and Robles pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery in Manhattan federal court for the slaying Taylor also pleaded to one count of witness tampering. 

“Thanks to our law enforcement partners and the Special Agents of my Office, Mazur will now serve a lengthy prison sentence for his callous crime,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Monday.

Taylor and Robles are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 3. They both face up to 20 years in prison.