U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery | U.S. Department of Justice
John Villegas, a 26-year-old Hartford resident also known as "Kirby," has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala handed down the sentence in Hartford for Villegas's involvement in a series of armed robberies targeting sellers on internet marketplaces.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), along with the Hartford and Middletown Police Departments, investigated these incidents. The robberies involved individuals who advertised luxury goods like cell phones and sneakers on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. At arranged meetings to sell their items, victims were threatened with firearms by the supposed buyer who then fled with the goods.
Investigations revealed that Villegas, alongside Jalen Lasalle, committed five armed robberies in Hartford during late August and early September 2022. Additionally, Villegas and his sister Valerie Meneses carried out another robbery in Middletown in August 2022.
Villegas has been detained since December 14, 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 12, 2024, to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and two counts of carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Both Lasalle and Meneses have pleaded guilty to related charges. Meneses received a sentence of 63 months imprisonment on October 16, 2024. Lasalle is still awaiting sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and A. Reed Durham are prosecuting this case.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery advised those buying or selling items online to meet at visible locations monitored by authorities for safety reasons.
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