District of Connecticut

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that ANTHONY ENGLEHARDT, 44, of Southbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to a firearm offense related to his unlawful possession of sawed-off shotguns and silencers.

According to court documents and statements made in court, shortly before midnight on March 13, 2023, Torrington Police received a report that Englehardt used a rifle and shot a hole in the ceiling of a Torrington residence, and then left the residence.  At the time, Englehardt was subject to a protective order issued by the Waterbury Superior Court that required him to surrender all of his firearms and ammunition.  At approximately 12:30 a.m. on March 14, 2023, Connecticut State Police stopped Englehardt’s vehicle, took him into custody, and charged him with multiple offenses.  Later that day, a search of Englehardt’s Southbury residence revealed 10 firearms, six silencers, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and various firearms parts and accessories.  Three of the firearms were sawed-off shotguns and were not registered pursuant to the National Firearms Act.  The six silencers also were not registered.

Englehardt pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms and silencers, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

Englehardt has been detained since his federal arrest on May 25, 2023.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police, Torrington Police Department, and Southbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret M. Donovan and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, with the assistance of Law Student Intern Eli Scher-Zagier.

ANTWAN HILL, also known as “Bandz,” 21, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.  The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven.  Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.

The investigation revealed that Hill and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders.  Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence.  Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.

Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in four gang-related shootings, which resulted in two deaths.  On September 26, 2020, Hill and another Exit 8 gang member shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang.  On May 19, 2021, Hill and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, including a rival gang member who was shot and killed on that date by another Exit 8 member.  On July 5, 2021, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and killed an individual.  On April 12, 2022, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and attempted to kill rival gang members.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Hill faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  He has been detained since August 3, 2023.

This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NICHOLAS P. HATCH, 29, of Wilton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 14 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling counterfeit works of art.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Hatch was the owner of Hatch Estate Services LLC, an estate sales company based in Norwalk.  Between approximately April 2020 and January 2022, Hatch used various websites, including Estatesales.org, a website specializing in estate sales and auctions, to offer for sale purported paintings by the artist Peter Max.  Hatch, who knew that the paintings were not authentic Peter Max paintings, used multiple aliases when interacting with purchasers through email during the sale process, and he made various representations as to the paintings’ authenticity, including providing certificates of the works’ authenticity.

Through this scheme, Hatch sold 145 fraudulent Peter Max paintings and defrauded 43 purchasers out of a total of $248,600.  Judge Nagala ordered Hatch to make full restitution.

Hatch was arrested on a criminal complaint on May 9, 2023.  On August 7, 2023, he pleaded guilty to mail fraud.

Hatch, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on June 17.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GINO RIZZO, 29, of Middletown, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing three banks in 2022.

According to court documents and statements made in court, using notes demanding cash, Rizzo robbed People’s United Bank branches located in Stop & Shop supermarkets in Glastonbury on July 16, 2022, in Newington on July 18, 2022, and in West Hartford July 20, 2022.  Rizzo’s girlfriend, Jalania Pantano, also participated in the West Hartford robbery (photo attached).

Rizzo was arrested on July 21, 2022.  On April 11, 2023, while on pre-trial release, he disconnected his GPS electronic monitoring bracelet and absconded from his court-mandated rehabilitation center.  He has been detained since his re-arrest on May 22, 2023.  On January 25, 2023, Rizzo pleaded guilty to bank robbery.

Pantano was arrested on August 30, 2022, and she pleaded guilty to bank robbery on August 23, 2023.  On December 5, 2023, she was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Middletown, Glastonbury, Newington, and West Hartford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Robert S. Dearington.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging KWITZPATRICK DUFFANY, 36, formerly of Willimantic, with firearm and drug offenses stemming from an investigation into the theft of more than 30 firearms from a Newington gun store last year.

As alleged in the indictment, on May 27, 2023, Duffany stole more than 30 firearms from Hoffman’s “Guns for the Good Guys,” a federal firearms licensee located in Newington.  On that date, Duffany also possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and used a firearm in relation to that offense.

It is alleged that Duffany’s criminal history includes two state convictions for burglary in the third degree.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

The indictment charges Duffany with theft of firearms from a licensee, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years.

Duffany has been detained since his arrest on unrelated state charges on May 31, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Newington Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Willimantic Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.

U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of New Britain for its cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KIMANI WILLIAMS, 31, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statement made in court, on April 7, 2022, after Bridgeport Police had secured search warrants for Williams’ residence, vehicle, and person, officers stopped a vehicle in which Williams was a passenger.  As officers removed Williams from the vehicle, a loaded Smith and Wesson .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol fell to the ground.  Two loaded handguns were also discovered in the vehicle’s glovebox.

Williams’ criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut and New York for criminal possession of a weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon, and assault of public safety or emergency personnel.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Williams has been detained since his arrest on April 7, 2022.  On November 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging EMILY RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Emy,” 28; RICARDO VERDEJO, also known as “Risk” and “Ricky,” 26; and LUIS CRUZ, also known as “Goldo,” 26, all of Waterbury, with offenses stemming from a violent carjacking last year.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) were stolen from Rodriguez’s Waterbury residence.  After the theft, Rodriguez, Verdejo, Cruz, and others identified an individual (“Victim 1”) who they believed was involved in the theft.  Later that night, Victim 1’s friend, (“Victim 2”), picked up Victim 1 from work and drove him home.  As they arrived at Victim 1’s residence, three vehicles followed them and surrounded the victims.  Verdejo, Cruz, and others exited the vehicles.  Verdejo carried an assault-style rifle.  Verdejo, Cruz, and others demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened both victims, and physically assaulted them.  They then stole Victim’s 2 vehicle, which was owned by Victim 2’s relative, and other items and cash belonging to the victims.

It is further alleged that Rodriguez and others continued to threaten and harass the victims, and their friends and relatives, after the carjacking.  There is no indication that Victim 1 was, in fact, involved in the theft of the ATVs.

The indictment, which was returned on April 10, 2024, charges Rodriguez, Verdejo, and Cruz, with carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 25 years, and with conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.  The indictment also charges Verdejo with carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least seven years.

Rodriguez was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 21, 2024.  She appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven, pleaded not guilty, and is released on a $100,000 bond.

Verdejo and Cruz are currently detained in federal custody on unrelated charges.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force with the assistance of the Waterbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Nathan J. Guevremont.

Individuals with information that may be helpful to the investigation and prosecution of this matter are encouraged to contact the FBI’s New Haven Division at 203-777-6311.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that ANDREW PAYNE, 40, of Glastonbury, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an ATF investigation identified Payne as a possible purchaser of machinegun conversion devices.  In March 2023, investigators interviewed Payne and explained that these devices were illegal under federal law.  Payne arranged through his attorney to turn in to ATF all of the illegal devices he claimed he had in his possession.

It is also alleged that, in the early morning hours of November 29, 2023, Hartford Police responded to a hotel on Brainard Road after hotel employees found a firearm in a hotel hallway.  A hotel employee stated that the hotel guest who possessed the firearm, identified as Payne, had been acting erratically and crawling on the hallway floor.  During a search of Payne’s room, police found used hypodermic needles and other evidence of drug use, and the investigation revealed that the firearm was registered to Payne.  Payne was charged with state offenses and was ordered to surrender his firearms to a Federal Firearms Licensee (“FFL”).  In addition, his state pistol permit was revoked.

It is further alleged that on March 18, 2024, Simsbury Police arrested Payne for violating the conditions of his release after it was determined that Payne had access to numerous firearms, firearm components, and firearm manufacturing equipment found in two units of a business complex at 2 Tunxis Road in the Tariffville section of Simsbury (See photos below).  Investigators conducted searches of the locations on March 19 and March 20, 2024, and seized these items, which included machinegun conversion devices that ATF had advised Payne were illegal to possess.  Payne had also represented in court after his November 2023 arrest that he did not have access to firearms.  A search of Payne’s vehicle also revealed glassine envelopes containing suspected fentanyl, empty glassine envelopes, and used hypodermic needles.

Payne, who was released after his arrest on March 18, has been detained in state custody since March 20, when he was arrested after arriving at 2 Tunxis Road while investigators were executing a search warrant.

Payne made his initial appearance in Hartford federal court on April 11, 2024.

The charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Simsbury Police Department, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Donovan and Christopher Lembo.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN McMANUS, 55, of New Britain, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of an investigation into the proliferation of privately made firearms (“PMFs” or “ghost guns”) in Connecticut, ATF investigators determined that Andrew Francoeur, a resident of Manchester, was buying firearm parts from a Missouri company, having the parts shipped to him, and manufacturing guns inside a shipping container on a property in Suffield.  Francoeur sold some of the firearms he manufactured.

While he was incarcerated in state custody for firearm and drug offenses, Francoeur arranged for McManus to take possession of his guns and ammunition.  McManus sold some of the firearms, broke some into pieces when he learned of the ATF investigation, and ultimately stored Francoeur’s property in two storage bins.  In November 2022, investigators retrieved the storage bins and found firearm parts, a .22 caliber rifle, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, 25 high-capacity magazines, M-80 explosives, firearm gear, and other items.

McManus’ criminal history includes felony convictions for drug, firearm, larceny, and failure to appear offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

McManus is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport on July 8, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

On April 27, 2023, Francoeur pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and manufacturing and dealing in firearms without a license.  On September 6, 2023, he was sentenced to 33 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that VICTOR RODRIGUEZ-GOMEZ, also known as “Calami,” 49, of Desert Hot Springs, California, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine to Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force identified suspicious packages that were being mailed to a New Britain address connected to Rodriguez-Gomez and his associate, Ramon Ramos-Acevedo, who resided in New Britain.  A court-authorized search of one package, which had been mailed from California, revealed approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and one kilogram of heroin.  In July 2022, USPIS investigators in San Bernardino, California, contacted Connecticut investigators to report that a court-authorized search of a package that was addressed to a residence on Willow Street in New Britain revealed eight cell phones.  On August 1, 2022, investigators conducted a controlled delivery of the package in New Britain and observed Rodriguez-Gomez and Ramos-Acevedo take possession of it.

Investigators identified several additional suspicious packages associated with Ramos-Acevedo and, on August 11, 2022, observed Ramos-Acevedo in California mailing packages to an address in New Britain.

Investigators also developed evidence that Rodriguez-Gomez had an associate who used a van to transport narcotics from California, or another location in the southwestern United States, to addresses in Connecticut associated with Ramos-Acevedo.  On August 25, 2022, investigators observed Ramos-Acevedo unloading items from the van in New Britain.

On September 7, 2022, the Connecticut State Police, which was assisting with surveillance, stopped a vehicle that Ramos-Acevedo was driving in Newington for a motor vehicle violation.  Rodriguez-Gomez was a passenger in the vehicle.  After a K-9 alerted to several items within the vehicle, a search revealed $179,578 in cash and nine cellphones.  A subsequent search of a house in Farmington where Ramos-Acevedo claimed he was living resulted in the seizure of an additional $30,426 in cash.

On November 30, 2022, the Iowa State Patrol stopped Rodriguez-Gomez’s associate, Martin Cooper, who was driving the van that had been identified in August 2022.  A search of the van revealed approximately 22 kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of fentanyl, which was destined for Ramos-Acevedo in New Britain.

Rodriguez-Gomez has been detained since his arrest on December 4, 2022.  On December 4, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Ramos-Acevedo pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 22, 2024, and is detained while awaiting sentencing.

Cooper pleaded guilty to a related charge in the Southern District of Iowa and also awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force.  The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.  The USPIS Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, and Town of Groton Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone and Shan Patel.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that KENNETH MICHAEL STROTHERS, 27, of Meriden, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to an effective sentence of 168 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for a violent armed robbery spree in 2021.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation by the FBI and several local police departments into a series of armed robberies that occurred across Connecticut in early 2021.  The investigation revealed that Strothers committed at least 10 robberies over an approximately two-week period in Meriden, Cromwell, West Hartford, Newington, Wethersfield and New Britain.  The robberies typically involved Strothers stealing a vehicle, selecting and entering a store, threatening victims with a firearm, making demands, and, in some instances, beating victims with the gun before robbing them, causing significant injury and trauma.

The robbery spree ended shortly after Strothers robbed locations in Wethersfield and New Britain.  On February 9, 2021, Strothers entered the Valero gas station store at 930 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield, used a firearm to pistol-whip the store clerk in the head, stole approximately $260 from two cash registers, and fled the scene in a stolen car.  The store clerk was hospitalized with a serious head wound.  On February 10, 2021, Strothers entered Broad Street Pawn at 210 Broad Street in New Britain, used a firearm to pistol-whip a store employee in the head, stole approximately $2,000, and fled the scene with two associates in a stolen truck.  Three children of the store owner hid in a bathroom during the robbery.

Strothers was arrested on February 12, 2021, and investigators seized from him the handgun he used during the robberies.  He has been detained in state custody since his arrest.

On February 26, 2024, Strothers pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (“Hobbs Act robbery”).

The 14-year federal sentence includes the more than three years Strothers has spent in state custody since his arrest.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Britain Police Department, the Wethersfield Police Department, the Newington Police Department, the Cromwell Police Department, the West Hartford Police Department, the Meriden Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a three-count indictment charging SHAYQUAN GRAY, also known as “Scooby,” 23, of New Haven, with firearm and ammunition possession and cocaine distribution offenses.

The indictment was returned on March 26, 2024, and Gray appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since his arrest on March 14, 2024.

As alleged in the indictment and statements made in court, on March 14, 2024, New Haven Police observed Gray, who had an active state arrest warrant, participating in a drug transaction.  Gray was arrested, and he was found in possession of 80 individual bags of cocaine, a Polymer 80 “ghost gun” loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, and more than $1,200 in cash.

It is alleged that Gray’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including a state conviction for a firearm offense.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

The indictment charges Gray with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the New Haven Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Christopher Lembo.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that NATASHA GARCIA, 29, formerly of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 132 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses related to her role in the kidnapping and murder of a Massachusetts man in 2020.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 24, 2020, Garcia lured Francisco Roman, Jr. to her Chicopee apartment knowing that Brandon Batiste and Calvin Roberson were waiting for Roman, armed with firearms, and intended to kidnap, rob, and murder him.  When Roman arrived at the apartment, Batiste and Roberson confronted him, threatened to harm him if he did not comply with their orders, and handcuffed him.  Garcia left the apartment, and Batiste and Roberson stole cash, marijuana, and other items from Roman.  Batiste and Roberson forced Roman into the rear of Roman’s car and transported him and the stolen property to Connecticut.  Batiste shot and killed Roman while the car was en route to Hartford.  They then drove the car to Shultas Place in Hartford and left it parked on the street.

Batiste and Roberson then drove a separate car to an apartment that Roberson shared with Shamari Smith in Waterbury, and took most of the property stolen during the robbery into the apartment.

Shortly before 9 p.m. on December 26, 2020, Hartford police and fire personnel responded to Shultas Place and found Roman’s car engulfed in flames.  After the fire was extinguished, investigators discovered Roman’s body with multiple gunshot wounds in the rear of the vehicle.

On July 12, 2021, Garcia pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a Hobbs Act robbery, and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Garcia, who had been released on bond since the date of her guilty plea, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of the sentencing proceeding.

Batiste and Roberson were arrested on February 11, 2021, and each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnaping, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm.  On December 20, 2023, Batiste was sentenced to 42 years of imprisonment and, on March 19, 2024, Roberson was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment.

Smith, who lied to law enforcement about what she knew about the robbery, kidnapping, and murder, and her role in the disposal of the stolen property, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony.  On October 13, 2023, she was sentenced to 25 months of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, FBI’s Springfield Gang Task Force, Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County (Mass.) District Attorney’s Office, Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, Chicopee Police Department and Springfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Waterbury Police Department and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull and Trial Attorney Brian P. Leaming of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that TIMOTHY TURMAN, also known as “Murder,” 36, of Manchester, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to a firearm offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 9, 2022, Turman was arrested by Bloomfield Police after he was found in possession of a loaded Taurus, Millennium PT-145, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number.

Turman’s criminal history includes state felony convictions in 2005, for possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and in 2006, for robbery in the first degree.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Turman pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on July 2, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  He has been detained since his arrest.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Bloomfield Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda S. Oakes through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned a six-count indictment yesterday charging KEVIN KOLENDA, 66, of Norwalk, with fraud offenses related to his operation of a prize insurance business.

Kolenda was arrested this morning.  He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport, pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $50,000 bond.

As alleged in the indictment, Kolenda owns and operates Hole-In-Won LLC (“Hole In Won”), which has provided prize insurance to customers who offered promotions or prizes at events, including golf tournaments and fishing contests.  Hole In Won also used a promotional website, www.hole-in-won.com, to claim it to be “the most successful prize insurance company in the world” that had “paid out 1000’s of awards” to winners throughout the world.

The indictment alleges that Kolenda has defrauded dozens of organizations and individuals out of nearly $1 million, including approximately $850,000 in insurance premiums paid under false pretenses and more than $100,000 in prize costs that Hole In Won failed to pay.  As part of the scheme, victims, often charitable or civic organizations, obtained insurance from Kolenda and Hole In Won for one or more prizes at an event.  For example, the host of a golf tournament might include a lucrative prize, such as a new car, for any player who hits a hole in one on a specific hole.  The victim would complete an insurance contract and pay the insurance premium to Kolenda and Hole In Won, and Kolenda and Hole In Won would promise to pay out the insurance claim for the cost of the insured prize if there was a winner at the event.  If no one won the insured prize at the event, Kolenda and Hole In Won would keep the premium.

The indictment further alleges that if someone won the insured prize, Kolenda often used various fraudulent techniques to avoid payment of the claim.  For example, Kolenda made excuses to victims as to why Hole In Won did not have to pay out the cost of the claim; referred victims to the Hole In Won “claims department,” at an office in Washington, D.C., which did not exist; and threatened victims with bogus legal action and reputational harm if they continued to seek payment of the claim.  Ultimately, Kolenda would often stop responding to correspondence from victims and refused to pay out the cost of the insured prize.  The victim host or organization, or its partners, often paid for the cost of the insured prize themselves in order to avoid reputational harm and potential legal action.

The indictment charges Kolenda with six counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Weingarten.

Individuals and organizations who believe that they may be victims of this alleged scheme are encouraged to contact the FBI’s New Haven Division at 203-777-6311.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging MICHAEL W. LANDON, 37, of Groton, with child exploitation offenses.

The indictment charges Landon with production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and with possessing and accessing with intent to view child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

The indictment was returned on March 27, 2024, and Landon appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven and pleaded not guilty.  He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on June 28, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Groton Town Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Mahard through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the New London State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that KAREEM PORTER, also known as “Reem,” 25, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to a federal robbery offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 28, 2023, Porter, Andy Marte, and Tyrone Allen drove to a Bridgeport apartment building where they intended to carry out a robbery at an apartment in which they believed they would find drugs and drug proceeds.  Marte instructed Porter and Allen, who had a crowbar, to carry out the robbery while Marte remained in the car and to serve as a getaway driver.  Marte also contacted Jermaine Bethel, who arrived to participate in the robbery.  After failing to enter the apartment, Porter, Allen, and Bethel returned to the vehicle where they were encountered by law enforcement.  Officers searched the vehicle and its occupants and seized two handguns, which Marte had brought to the robbery, and the crowbar.

Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for July 2.

Porter is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

Marte, Allen, and Bethel previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Karen Peck.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that IZEDIN KIMCA, 24, of Waterbury, DENIS NAKO, 24, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and his brother, KLEVIS NAKO, 23, of Worcester, were arrested yesterday on federal criminal complaints charging them with selling and conspiring to sell counterfeit luxury and designer brand watches through websites and social media accounts.

Kimca appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven, and Denis Nako and Klevis Nako appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford. All three were released on $50,000 bonds.

As alleged in court documents, Kimca, Denis Nako, and Klevis Nako operated various websites, Instagram pages, and Facebook pages through which they advertised and sold counterfeit luxury watches that they had imported from China.  During the investigation, law enforcement made multiple undercover transactions in which they purchased counterfeit Rolex watches from several of the Instagram accounts for approximately $200 to $300 per watch.  The proceeds of the sales were deposited into bank accounts belonging to Kimca, Denis Nako, and Klevis Nako.

It is further alleged that, between April 2020 to July 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized approximately 74 parcels addressed to Kimca, or his aliases, that contained counterfeit luxury watches, including counterfeit Rolex, Audemars, and Panerai watches, having a total estimated manufacturers’ suggested retail price of more than $16 million had the watches been authentic.  In addition, between February 2021 to April 2022, CBP seized approximately 22 parcels addressed to the residence of Denis and Klevis Nako that contained counterfeit luxury watches, including counterfeit Rolex and Cartier watches, having a total estimated manufacturers’ suggested retail price of more than $3 million had the watches been authentic.

According to court documents, Klevis Nako is employed as a police officer with the Framingham State University Police Department in Framingham, Massachusetts.

It is alleged that, in January 2023, HSI agents interviewed Kimca about trafficking counterfeit watches and told him that selling counterfeit watches was illegal.  Kimca also had received several notices from CBP that watches had been seized and detailing potential violations associated with the importation of the items.  Kimca continued to sell counterfeit watches after the interview and after receiving the CBP notices.

The complaints charge Kimca, Denis Nako, and Klevis Nako with trafficking in and conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and services, offenses that carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  Kimca is also charged with engaging in illegal monetary transactions, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection has assisted the investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Shan Patel.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER MICHAELSON, 39, of Guilford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 312 months of imprisonment, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for coercing and threatening minors to send him sexually explicit images of themselves.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 9, 2019, the Guilford Police Department assisted Burrillville (R.I.) Police with the arrest of Michaelson at his residence in Guilford on Rhode Island state charges for child molestation, solicitation, and enticement.  During the arrest, officers seized Michaelson’s cellphone.  A court-authorized search of the seized phone revealed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, primarily boys between the ages of five and 15, and communications between Michaelson and minor victims whom he coerced, and often verbally abused and threatened, to send sexually explicit images of themselves to him.  Michaelson shared some of these images with others.

Michaelson has been detained since his arrest.  On March 16, 2023, he pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.

The Rhode Island state charges against Michaelson are pending.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, the Guilford Police Department, and the Burrillville Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nancy V. Gifford.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SALVADOR HERRERA MORALES, 30, a citizen of El Salvador last residing in East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2014, Herrera Morales stabbed a victim in East Hartford.  In August 2015, he was convicted in state court of assault in the first degree and sentenced to seven years of incarceration.  After serving his sentence, Herrera Morales was removed to El Salvador in April 2021.  In 2022, he illegally reentered the U.S.

In April 2022, Herrera Morales was arrested by East Hartford Police following an incident at a bar where he was intoxicated, punched a security guard, and kicked and shattered a glass door.  In June 2022 he was sentenced in state court of criminal mischief and received a sentence of 364 days of imprisonment, execution suspended, and one year of probation.

In April 2023, East Hartford Police arrested Herrera Morales for disorderly conduct, assault in the third degree, risk of injury to a child, and threatening in the second degree.  These state charges are pending.

Herrera Morales has been detained since his federal arrest on April 26, 2023.  On January 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.

Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that the Justice Department is adding three new cities to its Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), building on the successful model launched in Houston, Texas, in September 2022, and expanded to Memphis, Tennessee, in November 2023. The VCI surges law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs and other violent groups that are threatening the safety and security of communities in cities across the nation.

As the Attorney General noted in his remarks this morning in Chicago, today’s announcement comes as the Justice Department is working to replicate the successes that communities across the country have seen in driving down the violent crime that spiked during the pandemic. That includes cities like Detroit, where 2023 marked the fewest homicides in 57 years; Baltimore, where there was a 20% reduction in homicides in 2023 and a 7% reduction in non-fatal shootings; New Orleans, where 2023 marked a 25% decline in homicides; Philadelphia, where there was a 20% reduction in homicides in 2023; and Chicago, where homicides decreased by 13% in 2023.

“The Justice Department will not rest until every person, in every neighborhood, in every community is safe from violent crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The FBI reports that last year we saw a significant decrease in overall violent crime across the country compared to the previous year—including an over 13% decline in homicides. That is the largest one-year decline in homicides in 50 years. The Justice Department is not easing up on our efforts to reduce violent crime. In fact, today, we are doubling down. In Houston and Memphis, we launched a Violent Crime Initiative that brought prosecutors from the Department’s Criminal Division to work closely with prosecutors already on the ground to target those responsible for the greatest violence. Today, we are launching the next phase of our Violent Crime Initiative in St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut.”

“No matter where violent crime occurs, it leaves a devastating impact on victims and communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, as part of the Violent Crime Initiative, is renewing our focus on violent crime in three additional cities and surging tools and resources to make our streets safer. Every day, our field offices work to tear down violent criminals and gangs and this initiative will only serve to magnify their successes.”

“Violent crime demands our urgent attention,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Through our Violent Crime Initiative, the Criminal Division works in partnership with local U.S. Attorneys and federal and state law enforcement to use data to focus on the worst of the worst violent offenders, to engage with the communities in which we work, and to make our neighborhoods safer. As our work in Houston and Memphis has shown, together we can make a difference.”

To focus the Justice Department’s resources on communities most in need, the Criminal Division has identified St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut, as the next VCI cities. The VCI utilizes prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section—the nation’s foremost experts in racketeering prosecutions—to work alongside prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, as well as dedicated investigative agents, analysts, and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Through the VCI, the Criminal Division also works with community leaders in each city to best understand citizens’ concerns and to work to support them. Since the start of Houston VCI, Houston saw reductions of 9% in violent crime and 20% in homicides. In Memphis, when compared to 2023, official counts of murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults have decreased since the VCI has been operational.

“We have long had a focus in the Eastern District of Missouri on violent crime and complex criminal conspiracies, and the addition of two experienced prosecutors will allow us to expand that,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “We look forward to working with them to make the St. Louis region safer.”

“As a resident of Jackson, I know it is a great place to live and work, but it also suffers from violent crime that is largely driven by a small number of violent individuals and gangs,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “I am excited to have experts from the Justice Department join with federal, state, and local law enforcement here in Jackson to help us investigate and prosecute these sources of violent crime.”

“This office and our federal law enforcement partners have a long and successful history of working with the Hartford Police Department and our state counterparts to make our capital city safer,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut. “We welcome these additional Justice Department resources, which supplement our efforts to focus on the groups and individuals in Hartford that are chiefly responsible for Hartford’s gun violence and prosecute offenders to the full extent of federal law.”

“With crime rates down in so many places in 2023, now is not the time to back off. Now is the time to double and triple down on strategies that have been shown to work,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “ATF’s expertise in Crime Gun Intelligence allows our agents—and our law enforcement partners—to follow the crime gun. This leads to more impactful arrests both of those who are actually doing the shooting and those unlawfully supplying the shooters with their guns. By combining this intelligence and data with traditional techniques, ATF produces evidence-driven cases on the most dangerous offenders. We are proud to work with all our partners on this important initiative in cities around the country.”

“Drug-related crimes and violence continue to have a significant impact on our communities and demand a new approach,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “Two years ago, DEA implemented Operation Overdrive, a data-driven, intelligence led approach to identifying and dismantling criminal drug networks doing the most harm in communities, including in St. Louis, Missouri; Hartford, Connecticut; and Jackson, Mississippi. This approach allows us to map the threats and shift our resources so that our drug enforcement efforts will have the greatest impact in our communities. Expanding the Violent Crime Initiative further extends our potential to successfully investigate and prosecute criminals by harnessing the full potential of state, local, and federal partnerships.”

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging JOSE PAVON-FERMIN, 40, a citizen of Honduras who previously resided in Norwalk, with illegally reentering the United States after being deported and failing to register as a sex offender.

The indictment was returned on October 4, 2023.  Pavon-Fermin was arrested on March 7, 2024, in Rustburg, Virginia.  He appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, and was ordered detained pending trial.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, Pavon-Fermin was convicted in state court for sexual assault in the third degree and unlawful restraint in the first degree.  For those offenses, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail, suspended after serving four and one-half years, and 10 years of probation.  He also was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.  In June 2021, after serving his state sentence, Pavon-Fermin was deported and removed from the United States.  He illegally reentered the U.S. and, in January 2023, was arrested in Norwalk on unrelated state charges.  Pavon-Fermin failed to register or update his registration in Connecticut’s sex offender database, as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).

SORNA, which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs.  In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

The indictment charges Pavon-Fermin with one count of illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of failing to register as a sex offender, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Marshals Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTIAN BORRERO, 20, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 168 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for committing gunpoint robberies of convenience stores and an armed carjacking in 2022.

According to court documents and statements made in court, ATF and the New Haven Police Department investigated a series of gunpoint robberies and a carjacking that occurred in late June and early July 2022.  The investigation revealed that Borrero committed an armed robbery of a Citgo Gas Station located at 957 Foxon Road in East Haven on June 29, 2022; an armed carjacking followed by an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven Convenience Store located at 1089 Campbell Avenue in West Haven on July 3, 2022; and an armed robbery on an Xpress Mart Gas Station located at 180 Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia on July 7, 2022.  In addition, on July 6, 2022, Borrero and his associate, Robert Smith, committed an armed robbery of a Shell Gas Station located at 195 State Street in North Haven.

Borrero has been detained since July 13, 2022.  On January 3, 2024, he pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

On September 28, 2023, Smith, of New Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery and one count of aiding and abetting the carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  He awaits sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with the assistance of the New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, Ansonia, and North Haven Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.

U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorneys for the Judicial Districts of New Haven and Ansonia/Milford for their cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.

The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

KIVEON HYMAN, also known as “Tiny, ” 26, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, including murders and attempted murders, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.  The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven.  Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.

The investigation revealed that Hyman and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used, and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders.  Exit 8 members and associates stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence.  Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.

Specifically, on June 16, 2018, Hyman and other Exit 8 members shot at and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang in the area of Fountain Street, Davis Street, and Lakeview Terrace in New Haven.  In the shooting, the intended victim’s associate suffered seven gunshot wounds, but survived the attack.  Investigators found 15 spent ammunition casings.

Hyman has been detained since his arrest on March 24, 2023.  On October 12, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.           

This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CHARLES M. AMEER, 64, of Weston, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a fraud offense stemming from an $890,000 embezzlement scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2017 through 2022, Ameer was the Chief Financial Officer at Indeco North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Indeco Ind. S.P.A, headquartered in Milford.  From 2014 until February 2018, Ameer served as the treasurer of the Weston Soccer Club (“WSC”), located in Weston.  Beginning in 2016, Ameer misappropriated at least $38,500 from the WSC and used the funds for personal expenses.  In October 2017, Ameer created a $40,000 check, which was drafted on Indeco’s bank account and made payable to the order of “WSC,” and used the check to reimburse the WSC for the funds he had taken.  Ameer subsequently opened a line of credit at a bank in WSC’s name, without WSC’s authorization or knowledge, and transferred funds into the WSC account that he had stolen from to further conceal his theft.

Between October 2018 and July 2022, Ameer created 14 additional checks, in the total amount of $850,000, which were drafted on Indeco’s bank account and made payable to him.  He deposited the checks into his personal bank account and used the funds for his own benefit.

Ameer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for June 20.

Ameer was arrested on a criminal complaint on August 31, 2023.  He is released on a $500,000 bond pending sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN MATAVA, 60, of Coventry, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses related to his receipt of COVID-19 relief funds.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  In April 2020, Congress authorized more than $300 billion in additional PPP funding.  The PPP allowed qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive unsecured loans at an interest rate of 1%.  PPP loan proceeds were to be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spent the proceeds on these expenses within a certain period of time of receipt and used at least a certain percentage of the amount to be forgiven for payroll.

The PPP was overseen by the Small Business Administration, which has authority over all PPP loans.  Individual PPP loans, however, were issued by private approved lenders, such as Celtic Bank, which received and processed PPP applications and supporting documentation, and then made loans using the lenders’ own funds, which were guaranteed by the SBA.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2020, Matava applied to Celtic Bank for a $100,000 PPP loan for J.M. Builders LLC.  The application submission included several false representations, including that J.M. Builders LLC had eight employees and an average monthly payroll of $40,000; that the monies would be used for payroll, lease, mortgage, interest, and utilities; and that the business owner was not subject to pending formal criminal charges.  At the time of the PPP loan application, there were no records of payroll or employees with the Connecticut Department of Labor for J.M. Builders LLC, and Matava was subject to criminal charges in two pending cases related to arrests in 2017 and 2018.

On April 22, 2020, Celtic Bank disbursed $100,000 to a bank account for J.M. Builders LLC on which Matava was the signatory.  The account was opened on April 21, 2020, and had a balance of $0 immediately prior to the loan funds being disbursed.  Between April 2020 and January 2021, Matava used the funds primarily for personal expenditures, including $3,498 to pay a dog breeder, $4,777 for payments to an RV superstore in Connecticut, and legal fees, including a $2,000 retainer, for four court cases in Rockville, Connecticut.

In January 2021, Matava sought $100,000 in additional PPP funds from Celtic Bank, and included with the application several additional false statements and fraudulent tax documents.  Celtic Bank denied the application.

Judge Dooley ordered Matava to pay restitution of $100,000.

Matava was arrested on January 7, 2023.  On January 2, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction.

Matava is released on a $60,000 bond, in home detention.  He is required to report to prison on May 13.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher W. Schmeisser and Sean P. Mahard.

Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The Justice Department announced today that its long-running investigation into international commodities trading companies that paid bribes to win business with state-owned and state-controlled oil companies in Latin America and Africa has resulted in six corporate resolutions, 20 convictions of individuals, and total fines, forfeitures, and other penalties of more than $1.7 billion.

Since 2017, the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit, in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the FBI, has been investigating corruption committed by international commodities trading companies, which paid millions of dollars in bribes to corrupt government officials to secure billions of dollars in business with state-owned enterprises.

Through this work, the Criminal Division has entered into six corporate resolutions, which have included mandatory cooperation, disclosure, and compliance obligations and resulted in total fines, forfeitures, and other penalties of more than $1.7 billion:

• In September 2020, Sargeant Marine Inc., an asphalt company based in Boca Raton, Florida, with an asphalt trading arm, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to schemes to bribe government officials in Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador;
• In December 2020, Vitol Inc., entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in the Eastern District of New York, admitting to schemes to pay bribes to government officials in Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico;
• In May 2022, Glencore International AG pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York to a scheme to pay bribes to government officials in seven countries across Africa and Latin America;
• In December 2023, Freepoint Commodities LLC entered into a DPA in the District of Connecticut and admitted to a scheme to bribe government officials in Brazil;
• In March, Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to a scheme to bribe government officials in Ecuador; and
• Today, Trafigura Beheer B.V. pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to a scheme to bribe government officials in Brazil.

These corporate resolutions are connected to the guilty pleas of 19 culpable individuals, including six government officials, eight corrupt intermediaries, and five trading company employees. In addition, last month, Javier Aguilar, a former trader at Vitol Inc., was convicted on FCPA and money laundering charges following a seven-week trial in the Eastern District of New York.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, thanked the Criminal Division’s partners in these matters, including U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut, and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Argentieri also thanked the Criminal Division’s law enforcement partners, including the FBI’s International Corruption Unit, New York Field Office, Miami Field Office, and Los Angeles Field Office.

The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARFIELD ANTHONY PATTERSON, 49, a citizen of Jamaica residing in East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to six months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Patterson was deported from the U.S. to Jamaica in January 1997 and again in April 2000, and he has sustained convictions in Broward County, Florida, in 1997, for grand larceny in the third degree, and, in 1999, for possession of marijuana, possession of a fraudulently issued driver’s license, and obstruction.  Patterson again illegally reentered the U.S. and, in June 2019, was arrested in Middletown, Connecticut, for larceny in the first degree.  He was convicted of that offense and, in March 2021, he was sentenced in state court to 18 months of imprisonment, execution suspended after four months, and three years of probation.

On June 15, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Patterson with illegally reentering the U.S.  On February 23, 2023, a jury in New Haven found him guilty of the offense.

Patterson, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on May 15.  He faces deportation when he completes his prison term.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the assistance of the Middletown Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj Patel.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANDY MARTE, also known as “AD,” 30, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to a federal robbery offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 28, 2023, Marte and two associates drove to a Bridgeport apartment building where they intended to carry out a robbery at an apartment where they believed they would find drugs and drug proceeds.  Marte instructed his two associates, one of whom carried a crowbar, to carry out the robbery while he remained in the car and to serve as a getaway driver.  He subsequently contacted a third associate, who arrived to participate in the robbery.  After failing to enter the apartment, Marte’s three associates returned to the vehicle, where they were encountered by law enforcement.  Officers searched the vehicle and its occupants and seized two handguns, which Marte had brought to the robbery, and the crowbar.

Marte pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for June 20.

Marte has been detained since his arrest on April 28, 2023.

This investigation is being conducted by FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Karen Peck.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment yesterday charging JERMEL BATES, also known as “Mel Kitty” and “Kitty,” 28, of Bridgeport, with narcotics trafficking offenses.

As alleged in the indictment, court documents, and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 25, 2023, Bates crashed his vehicle into a parked car in Bridgeport and fled the scene on foot.  Law enforcement conducted an inventory search of Bates’ vehicle and found plastic bags containing approximately 550 blue/green fentanyl pills stamped “M/30,” more than 500 wax paper folds containing heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, and approximately 78 grams of crack cocaine.

Bates was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 19, 2024.  It is further alleged that, in conjunction with his arrest, investigators searched his person and his Newfield Avenue apartment and found plastic bags with thousands of blue-green fentanyl pills, hundreds of wax paper sleeves containing fentanyl, and a bag containing crack cocaine.

The indictment charges Bates with two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  If convicted, based on the type and quantities of controlled substances identified in each count of the indictment, Bates faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, on each count.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bates has been detained since his arrest.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Norwalk Police Department.  The Task Force is composed of personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging ANGEL GIANCARLO BELLIDO COSIO, also known as “Jesus Requejo,” 34, a citizen of Peru last residing in Paterson, New Jersey, and ANGEL EUGENIO BANCES CHAPONAN, 60, a citizen of Peru last residing in Queens, New York, with credit card fraud and identity theft offenses.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the FBI and local law enforcement agencies in Connecticut and elsewhere have been investigating a series of distraction thefts of wallets from victims at Trader Joe’s grocery stores and other retail stores.  The investigation revealed that Bellido Cosio and Bances Chaponan rented vehicles using a fraudulent passport, traveled throughout the U.S., stole wallets from unwary victims at Trader Joe’s and other stores, and then used the victims’ credit and debit cards to purchase electronic devices and other items.

Bellido Cosio and Bances Chaponan were arrested on March 13, 2024, and are currently detained.

The indictment charges Bellido Cosio and Bances Chaponan with access device fraud, and offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and with aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Manchester (Conn.) Police Department, the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department, the Spartanburg County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, and the Spartanburg Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Nathan J. Guevremont.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL ALMODOVAR, also known as “Eme ElColorado,” 30, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to offenses related to his participation in a stolen catalytic converter trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement has been investigating the theft of catalytic converters from motor vehicles across Connecticut.  A catalytic converter contains precious metals, can easily be removed from its vehicle, and is difficult to trace, making it a desirable target for thieves.  The average scrap price for catalytic converters currently varies between $300 and $1,500, depending on the model and type of precious metal component.

The investigation revealed that Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC (“Downpipe Depot”), which had a warehouse on Park Avenue in East Hartford, purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves, including Almodovar, and then transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey.

Business records seized during the investigation revealed that, between March 2022 and May 2022, Downpipe Depot paid Almodovar $34,445 for catalytic converters.  In one incident, while Almodovar was in the process of stealing a catalytic converter from a car parked in a parking lot, he was interrupted by a witness who used his cellphone take pictures of Almodovar.  Almodovar attacked the witness, smashed his car window, cut him with the saw he used to steal the converter, and then fled.  The next day, Almodovar sold six converters to Downpipe Depot in exchange for $2,180.

Almodovar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for June 18.

Almodovar was arrested on November 28, 2023.  He is detained pending sentencing.

This investigation is being led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the East Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and A. Reed Durham.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHELLE CRUZ, 38, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 15 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for her role in a narcotics trafficking ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a DEA New Haven Task Force and Waterbury Police Department-led investigation into drug trafficking in and around the city of Waterbury.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, and motor vehicle stops that resulted in the seizure of drugs and cash proceeds, revealed that Jose Duprey, also known as “Red” and “Colorado,” trafficked kilogram-quantities of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.  Duprey used his place of employment to supply narcotics to other drug distributors, and he used his girlfriend’s business, located on Straits Turnpike in Middlebury, to store narcotics and other items.

In April and May 2022, Cruz was intercepted on a wiretap ordering heroin and fentanyl from Duprey, which she then distributed to her drug customers.

Cruz, Duprey, and 12 other individuals identified during this investigation were arrested on May 25, 2022.  On that date, a search of Duprey’s Waterbury residence and his Middlebury stash location revealed approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of heroin, two kilograms of fentanyl, and more than $107,000 in cash.

On August 9, 2023, Cruz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.  Cruz, who is released on a $50,000 bond and living in New York, is required to report to prison on May 21.

Duprey has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of DEA offices in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Connecticut State Police; Connecticut Department of Correction; Connecticut State Parole; and the Naugatuck, Ansonia, West Haven, Meriden and East Haven Police Departments.

U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan J. Keefe and Nathaniel J. Gentile through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that MOHAMED NAJM KAMASH, also known as Mohamed Najm Mohamed Ali Kamash, 33, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to making a false statement in a naturalization proceeding.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Kamash is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., having immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq in 2014.  On August 17, 2021, Kamash appeared in Hartford for a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) interview about his pending Application of Naturalization (Form N-400), and was placed under oath.  During the interview with a USCIS agent, Kamash knowingly and falsely stated that he did not know anyone involved with a terrorist organization and that no member of his family was involved with a terrorist organization.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Kamash faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

Kamash was arrested on a criminal complaint on May 5, 2022.  He is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Doherty and Konstantin Lantsman.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEXANDER DILELLA, 24, of Stratford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 132 months of imprisonment, followed by seven years of supervised release, for child exploitation offenses related to his sexual exploitation of girls across the country through Snapchat and other online applications.  Judge Underhill also ordered Dilella to pay $24,000 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2020 and 2021, Dilella used various online applications, including Snapchat, FaceTime, and Omegle to communicate with at least nine minor girls across the country, some as young as 12 and 13 years old, and manipulate them to engage in sexual activity while livestreaming, and to send him explicit images and videos of themselves.  Dilella also sent sexually explicit images of himself to several of minor victims.

During one Snapchat exchange with a 14-year-old victim in Colorado, Dilella referred to the girl as a “child porn slave” and demanded that she send him a sexually explicit image of herself, which she did.  Dilella also attempted to meet a 16-year-old victim in Stratford to engage in sex acts with him, but they could not agree on a location. When the victim suggested they meet in her basement, Dilella declined because he felt was a “trap.”

On May 24, 2021, investigators seized Dilella’s iPhone. Analysis of the phone revealed videos of prepubescent children being sexually abused.

Dilella was arrested on May 4, 2022.  On November 8, 2023, he pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Dilella, who is released on a $250,000 bond, is required to report to prison on May 15.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Stratford and Milford Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the government and the Discovery Zone Learning Center (“Discovery Zone”), a private childcare center with locations in Columbia, Hebron, and Marlborough, Connecticut, have entered into a settlement agreement to resolve allegations that Discovery Zone staff discriminated against a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in violation of the Americans with Disability Act (“ADA”).

This matter was initiated by a complaint made with the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of a child with Autism.  Based on its investigation, the government found that Discovery Zone failed to reasonable modify its programs to accommodate the child, which resulted in Discovery Zone excluding the child from its childcare programs. 

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Discovery Zone has agreed not to discriminate against children with disabilities in the future, will implement new policies and procedures for handling requests for reasonable modifications that are consistent with the ADA, and will provide training to its staff on the ADA.  Discovery Zone has also agreed to pay $1,500 to the complainant.

“No family should have to worry that their child will be excluded from group childcare because the child is disabled,”  said U.S. Attorney Avery.  “I want to commend the Discovery Zone Learning Center for doing the right thing by cooperating with our investigation and agreeing to comply with the ADA going forward.”

The settlement agreement is effective for three years, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor compliance during that time. 

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart C. Dearing.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700 and ask for the Civil Rights Intake Specialist.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY).  More information about the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

EZRA ALVES, also known as “EJ” and “Ezzy,” 23, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to offenses stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang.  On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Alves and 15 other alleged 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.

Alves pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, three counts of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, two counts of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances.

Alves specifically admitted that he and other 960 members were engaged in drug trafficking and violent activity, and conspired to shoot and murder members of rival gangs, including:

• On September 21, 2018, in retaliation for the murder of an associate, Alves and other 960 members participated in a drive-by shooting of an occupied residence on Scott Road in Waterbury.
• On October 6, 2018, in a drive-by shooting, Alves and other gang members attempted to murder individuals believed to be members of a rival gang, which resulted in gunshot wounds to an individual.
• On November 18, 2018, Alves and other gang members participated in a drive-by shooting of rival gang members, which resulted in gunshot wounds to two individuals.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2024, at which time Alves faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 17 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

Alves has been detained since November 15, 2019.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, ATF, and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that NERICK DIAZ-QUESADA, 25, of New Britain, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.

According to court documents, on November 10, 2022, members of the DEA’s Hartford Task Force and New Britain Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at an apartment located on LaSalle Street in New Britain suspected of being used as a location to store, process, and package narcotics for distribution.  Diaz-Quesada was apprehended after he attempted to flee from investigators when they entered the apartment.  A search of bedroom that Diaz-Quesada used revealed more than two kilograms of cocaine, a loaded Glock 9mm handgun, narcotics packaging materials, and a large amount of cash.

Diaz-Quesada has been detained since his arrest.  On January 26, 2023, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

This investigation is being conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force, which includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CALVIN ROBERSON, also known as “Cutty,” 41, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 348 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in the kidnapping and murder of a Massachusetts man in 2020.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 24, 2020, Roberson and Brandon Batiste kidnapped Francisco Roman, Jr., 28, at gunpoint from a residence in Chicopee, Massachusetts.  Roberson and Batiste threatened to harm Roman if he did not comply with their orders, handcuffed him, and stole cash, marijuana, and other items from Roman.  Roberson and Batiste forced Roman into the rear of Roman’s car and transported Roman and the stolen property to Connecticut.  Batiste shot and killed Roman while the car was en route to Hartford.  They then drove the car to Shultas Place in Hartford and left it parked on the street.

Roberson and Batiste then drove a separate car to an apartment that Roberson shared with Shamari Smith in Waterbury, and took most of the property stolen during the robbery into the apartment.

Shortly before 9 p.m. on December 26, 2020, Hartford police and fire personnel responded to Shultas Place and found Roman’s car engulfed in flames.  After the fire was extinguished, investigators discovered Roman’s body with multiple gunshot wounds in the rear of the vehicle.

Roberson has been detained since his arrest on February 11, 2021.  On April 27, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnaping, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm.

Batiste pleaded guilty to the same charges and, on December 20, 2023, was sentenced to 42 years of imprisonment.

Smith, who lied to law enforcement about what she knew about the robbery, kidnapping, and murder, and her role in the disposal of the stolen property, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony.  On October 13, 2023, she was sentenced to 25 months of imprisonment.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, FBI’s Springfield Gang Task Force, Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County (Mass.) District Attorney’s Office, Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, Chicopee Police Department and Springfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Waterbury Police Department and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull and Trial Attorney Brian P. Leaming of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center (“Norwalk Inn”), located in Norwalk, to resolve allegations that the facility was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).

The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that the Norwalk Inn required the removal of a service animal from the Inn as a condition of service in July 2023.

As a result of the settlement agreement, the Norwalk Inn is in the process of posting signage indicating “Service Animals Welcome,” implementing a “Service Animal Policy,” which includes the types of legally permissible inquiries Norwalk Inn employees may make of a customer who enters the facility with a service animal, and training employees regarding the policy. 

Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including hotels and restaurants, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability.  The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities.  The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.

U.S. Attorney Avery noted that the owners of Norwalk Inn have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to promptly address the ADA issues without litigation.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY).  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Brown, Jr. of the District of Connecticut in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

DAYQUAIN SINISTERRA, also known as “Quan,” 26, and AHMED ALVES, also known as “Stones,” 26, both of Waterbury, pleaded guilty this week in Bridgeport federal court to offenses stemming from their participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang.  On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Sinisterra, Alves, and 14 other alleged 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.

On March 13, 2024, Sinisterra pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, six counts of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and three counts of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Sinisterra specifically admitted that he and other 960 members were engaged in violent activity and conspired to shoot and murder members of rival gangs, including:

• On September 21, 2018, in retaliation for the murder of an associate, Sinisterra and other 960 members participated in drive-by shootings of occupied residences on Lounsbury Street and Scott Road in Waterbury.
• On October 6, 2018, in a drive-by shooting, Sinisterra and other gang members attempted to murder individuals believed to be members of a rival gang, which resulted in gunshot wounds to an individual.
• On October 11, 2018, in an effort to murder rival gang members, Sinisterra and other gang members participated in a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander, 30-year-old Fransua Guzman, and the paralysis of a second victim.
• On November 1, 2018, Sinisterra shot a rival gang member.
• On November 18, 2018, Sinisterra and other gang members participated in a drive-by shooting of rival gang members, which resulted in gunshot wounds to two individuals.

Sinisterra is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley on June 17, 2024.  If Judge Dooley accepts the terms of a binding plea agreement, Sinisterra will be sentenced to 35 years of imprisonment.

Sinisterra has been detained since his arrest on November 21, 2018. 

On March 12, 2024, Alves pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of being an accessory after the fact.  Alves admitted that he trafficked drugs in furtherance of the 960 enterprise.  He also admitted that, after the gang-related shooting that occurred on November 18, 2018, Alves picked up 960 members who participated in the shooting using a stolen car, and drove them to a 960 member’s residence where they stashed firearms.  Later, 960 members drove the stolen car and left it in Meriden, and Alves again picked them up.

Alves was arrested on September 16, 2021.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Dooley on June 13, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 35 years.

Alves is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, ATF, and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with the Connecticut Department of Correction (CDOC) that expands opportunities for group religious practice throughout the state prison system. The agreement resolves the department’s investigation of CDOC, pursuant to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).

Under the agreement, CDOC has adopted a new policy that expands access to group worship or other collective religious activities. Under the prior policy, only a chaplain or approved outside volunteer of the same faith as the members of a religious group could supervise the group’s religious practice. The revised policy will permit other staff and chaplains of other faiths to supervise group religious practice and will allow incarcerated persons to facilitate some group religious activities.

“Religious liberty is a foundational principle of the United States, and the religious rights of incarcerated persons are guaranteed by both the Constitution and federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement will protect the religious practices of people held in correctional facilities across Connecticut by expanding the available options for supervising group religious activities. The Justice Department remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the religious rights of all persons, including those who are incarcerated.”

“Federal law guarantees all Americans the right to freely exercise one’s religion, which includes the right of institutionalized persons to practice their faith and worship together,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut. “We are committed to protecting this fundamental right and are grateful for the Connecticut Department of Correction’s ongoing collaboration to ensure better protection for collective religious services.”

In addition to expanding who can supervise group religious practice, the agreement requires CDOC to implement a new “inmate conductor” program, which will allow incarcerated persons to take an active role in facilitating collective religious activities. CDOC will also collect and review data on a regular basis to ensure that the new policy has the intended effect of increasing access to group worship or collective religious activities. The settlement requires appropriate notification and training of CDOC staff and leadership to implement the revised policy. The department will have access to documents and correctional facilities to assess compliance with the agreement.

For additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. The Justice Department issued a report on the 20th Anniversary of RLUIPA in 2020 and a statement and on the Institutionalized Persons Provisions of RLUIPA in 2017. Those interested in finding out more about RLUIPA can visit www.justice.gov/crt/religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-act-0.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that DANNY D. BEEMAN, 66, of Beverly Hills, Florida, and a former resident of Connecticut, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to tax evasion.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Beeman claimed to be the originator and developer of computer software technology capable of compressing electronically-stored data.  In 2012, Beeman and other individuals formed a Connecticut company, identified in court documents as “Company-A,” to allow Beeman to develop the compression software.  From 2013 to 2017, Company-A paid Beeman approximately $316,000 to develop the software.  During this time, Beeman submitted fake invoices to Company-A seeking reimbursement for purchases of computer-related equipment that he never purchased. Beeman obtained approximately $2 million from Company-A through these fake invoices.

In total, from 2013 to 2017, Beeman received approximately $2.3 million from Company-A, all of which was taxable income.  Beeman also had long-term capital gains income of approximately $1.5 million resulting from the sale of shares in Company-A.  However, Beeman never filed tax returns for any of those years, resulting in a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service of approximately $1,054,032.

Beeman faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Beeman is released pending sentencing.

This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and the New England Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration have released a public service announcement asking Connecticut residents to remain vigilant during this ongoing opioid abuse epidemic, and issuing a warning about the increasing percentage of fentanyl now found in counterfeit prescription pills that are illegally trafficked in the U.S.

“Overdose deaths due to fentanyl intoxication have become a devastating part of the fabric of Connecticut and our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.  “While there are indications that annual overdose death rates are no longer rising and may have leveled off, or slightly decreased, far too many people continue to die accidentally by consuming fentanyl and counterfeit pills that contain it.  While our office, the DEA, and our other federal, state, and local partners continue to work to dismantle drug trafficking rings and stem the flow of these deadly drugs, we ask the public to remain vigilant and continue to spread awareness to family and friends.  We hope this public service announcement is viewed widely and the message in it absorbed by all.  One pill can kill you, and there are resources available to help us end this scourge.”

“Last year, the DEA seized thousands of pounds of fentanyl powder and more than 79 million fentanyl-laced pills across the U.S.,” said David Lanzoni, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England.  “But as drug poisoning is now the leading cause of death of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, we clearly have more work to do.  Everyone needs to know that nearly all of the pills sold on the street are counterfeit, and approximately seven out of ten them contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.  Please watch this public service announcement and help spread these astonishing numbers.”

The public service announcement is available at these links:

• https://youtu.be/TvFf6Sy0q5M (YouTube)
• https://twitter.com/USAO_CT/status/1768287229619720230 (X/Twitter)           
• https://www.facebook.com/usaoct/posts/pfbid028KVay6XfoVHDNPdPMxdyiHmdKV8vr4LcwVfss3VWi8apKyExM3rFVjaQnk8oLeTCl (Facebook)

Additional resources on fentanyl and fentanyl pills, as well as prevention and treatment, are available at www.dea.gov/onepill.

To learn more about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s fentanyl awareness and drug prevention program for students, please visit:  www.justice.gov/usao-ct/heat.

Information about the DEA New England Division can be found at: www.dea.gov/divisions/new-england.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation.  The Office is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.  For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, please visit www.justice.gov/ct.

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Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL LEE, 26, of Windsor, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and the seizure of drugs that had been shipped through the U.S. Mail, revealed that Michael Lee, his brother Alexander Lee, and others, received thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, and other controlled substances, from a source of supply on the west coast of the U.S., and then distributed the drugs to various street-level distributors and numerous drug customers in Connecticut.

In February 2022, Michael and Alexander Lee traveled to California and shipped a package back to Alexander Lee’s Windsor residence.  The package, which was intercepted and searched pursuant to a federal search warrant, contained approximately 18,000 fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone.  In May 2022, the Lees again traveled to California and shipped a package to an associate in Bloomfield.  A search of the package revealed 1,800 tablets of Alprazolam (Xanax) that appeared to be manufactured in Mexico.

During the investigation, investigators also seized approximately 25 pounds of marijuana, seven firearms, and thousands of dollars in cash.

Michael and Alexander Lee were arrested on June 29, 2022.  On that date, a search of Michael Lee’s residence revealed more than 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills, a small quantity of prescription Xanax tablets, and a loaded .45 caliber pistol with an extended magazine.

On November 6, 2023, Michael Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  Currently released on a $100,000 bond, he is required to report to prison on April 24.

Alexander Lee pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on September 6, 2023, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Connecticut State Police; East Central Narcotics Task Force; and the Windsor and Enfield Police Departments.  The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA and the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Watertown Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Stephanie T. Levick through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ZAN HAIRSTON, JR., 26, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 9, 2023, the Bridgeport Police Department received a report that Hairston had unlawfully entered a residence of a former girlfriend, searched through her belongings and, during a subsequent FaceTime call with her, threatened her by brandishing what appeared to be a firearm.  When officers located and approached Hairston on Union Avenue in Bridgeport, Hairston attempted to flee.  He was apprehended a short distance away, and officers recovered from the ground near Hairston a Taurus TX .22 firearm equipped with a mounted laser and loaded with an extended magazine containing 20 rounds of ammunition, a Glock 26 Gen4 firearm loaded with one round, and a Glock magazine with 13 rounds of ammunition.

Hairston’s criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut for conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree with a firearm, burglary in the second degree, criminal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for June 7, at which time Hairston faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Hairston has been detained since his federal arrest on February 22, 2023.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bridgeport Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Lauren Clark through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment today charging HEATHER BROWN, 49, last residing in New Haven, with robbing three Connecticut banks last month.

The indictment alleges that Brown robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 800 Wolcott Street in Waterbury on February 6, 2024; the Liberty Bank located at 1030 Hamilton Avenue in Waterbury on February 7, 2024; and the Webster Bank located at 575 Farmington Avenue in Bristol on February 9, 2024.

Brown has been in custody since her arrest on state charges on February 9, 2024.

The indictment charges Brown with three counts of bank robbery, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Waterbury, Bristol, and Southington Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Nathan J. Guevremont.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that HECTOR SANTIAGO, 29, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to escaping from the custody of the Attorney General.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 18, 2019, Santiago was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 69 months of imprisonment for a narcotics trafficking offense.  On June 23, 2023, he was transferred from the U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, to the Drapelick Center, a Residential Reentry Center (halfway house) in Bloomfield, to complete his custodial sentence.  On September 27, 2023, Santiago left the facility and failed to return.  He was located and arrested in Hartford on February 9, 2024.

Santiago has been detained since his arrest.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Santiago faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Mahard.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that JAIRO ABREU, 31, of Danbury, has been charged by indictment with a fentanyl trafficking offense.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Hartford Police Department revealed that Abreu was trafficking fentanyl into Hartford.  Abreu was arrested on state charges on October 17, 2023.  Following his arrest, a search of his Danbury residence revealed approximately three kilograms of fentanyl and an additional approximately 2,000 wax sleeves containing fentanyl.

Abreu was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on February 23, 2024.  On March 6, a grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  Abreu appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford, entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, and was released on a $100,000 bond.

If convicted of the charge, Abreu faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of 40 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Manchester Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone and Sean P. Mahard through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

JAIVAUN McKNIGHT, also known as “Sav,” 25, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to multiple offenses stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang.  On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging McKnight and 15 other alleged 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.

McKnight pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, one count of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

McKnight specifically admitted that he and other 960 members were engaged in violent activity, including shootings, assaults and attempted murders, and that he trafficked drugs in furtherance of the 960 enterprise.  On September 21, 2018, in retaliation for the murder of an associate, McKnight and other 960 members attempted to murder individuals by shooting at an occupied residence on Scott Road in Waterbury.

McKnight has been detained since his arrest on September 16, 2021.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley on June 12, at which time he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, ATF, and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.