Derrick Rivera, a 22-year-old resident of Bridgeport, was sentenced on Mar. 16 to 12 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release for committing two armed robberies at businesses in Bridgeport in 2022, according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The sentencing follows Rivera’s guilty plea to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and one count of carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The case was heard by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford.
Court documents show that on November 11, 2022, Rivera entered a barbershop on Wood Avenue while brandishing a firearm. He robbed an employee and two customers before fleeing the scene. Two weeks later, on November 25, Rivera robbed a restaurant on Wade Street. During this incident, he pointed a gun at the owner behind the register and demanded cash. As he fled with the money, Rivera fired twice toward the owner and other employees; one bullet struck the digital display of the cash register. Shattered glass and plastic from the register along with a shell casing caused injuries to the owner’s face, eye, hand, and stomach.
In a victim impact statement presented during sentencing, the restaurant owner said that trauma from the robbery and shooting forced him to sell his business: “the trauma he suffers from the robbery and shooting forced him to sell the restaurant.” Rivera has been detained since his arrest on November 25, 2023.
The investigation was conducted by the Bridgeport Police Department, Stratford Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins prosecuted the case.
This sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address violent crimes involving firearms within local communities.
