HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford woman was sentenced in the city on Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for her role in a gunpoint robbery of a victim who was selling an iPhone on Facebook Marketplace.
A release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said that Valerie Meneses, 24, will have her sentence followed by two years of supervised release.
Court documents and statements made in court note that the ATF, the Hartford Police Department and the Middletown Police Department investigated multiple gunpoint robberies of people who advertised items for sale on internet platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp.
After arranging to meet and sell their items, which included cell phones and luxury sneakers, victims would be robbed by an individual brandishing a gun.
Investigators say that in August and September 2022, Meneses’ brother, John “Kirby” Villegas, committed five armed robberies in Hartford with Jalen Lasalle and one armed robbery in Middletown with Meneses.
Prosecutors say Meneses used a Facebook account to arrange the pretend purchase of an iPhone from a victim who advertised it on Facebook Marketplace. On Aug. 22, 2022, Meneses reportedly traveled with Villegas to meet the victim at a restaurant parking lot in Middletown.
When the victim arrived at the spot, Villegas entered their car, inspected the iPhone, pulled out a gun and told the victim he was “out of luck.” He also attempted to steal the victim’s personal cellphone and threatened to shoot him before fleeing with Meneses, according to prosecutors.
On Wednesday, a judge ordered Meneses to pay $1,000 in restitution to the victim.
Meneses was reportedly arrested on Oct. 5, 2023, and pleaded guilty on May 15 to interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and carrying and using a gun during and in relation to a crime of violence.
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Meneses was released on a $25,000 bond and must report to prison on Dec. 15. Prosecutors say that Villegas and Lasalle, both who live in Hartford, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The matter has been investigated by the ATF, the Hartford Police Department and the Middletown Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney encourages individuals who sell and purchase items online and need to meet in person to complete the sale to use a visible, monitored location. Many police departments have specific locations on their properties for these sales to be completed.
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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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