HARTFORD, Conn. — A young man from Hartford pleaded guilty on Wednesday to committing a series of gunpoint robberies in 2022, targeting individual sellers of luxury goods that he originally met online, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said that Jalen Lasalle, 20, engaged with people on internet marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. He agreed to purchase items such as cell phones, luxury sneakers and accessories and set arranged meeting places to complete the transaction.
However, when Lasalle met with his victims, prosecutors said he would brandish a gun, force the victim to hand over the luxury items and flee.
An investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Hartford Police Department; and the Middletown Police Department discovered that Lasalle and John “Kirby” Villegas committed five armed robberies in Hartford in late August and early September 2022. Alongside Valerie Meneses, prosecutors added that Villegas also committed an armed robbery in Middletown in August 2022.
Lasalle was arrested on Feb. 3, 2023, and pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years on each count. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of at least five years on each count.
Pending sentencing on Jan. 7, 2025, Lasalle is released on a $50,000 bond.
Villegas and Meneses, who are both from Hartford, pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors say that Villegas has been detained since being arrested on Dec. 14, 2022, while Meneses is released on bond.
The U.S. Attorney says that individuals who sell and purchase items online and need to meet an individual to complete the sale, should do so in a visible, monitored location. Some police departments offer monitored meeting locations.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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