Three Men Indicted On Charges Stemming From Statewide Robbery Spree

NEW HAVEN, CT — Three men were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday in connection with a 3-week robbery spree in which cash, cigarettes and other items were stolen from eight convenience stores and smoke shops throughout Connecticut.

The indictment charges Steven Galarza, 24, of Seymour; Efrain Deleon, 58, of New Britain; and Gilberto Deleon, 56, of New Britain, with one count each of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery and eight counts each of Hobbs Act Robbery. If convicted, they face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Between Feb. 27 and March 22, 2022, the three men, using facsimile firearms designed to appear similar to real firearms, robbed the following retail locations, according to the indictment:

• Feb. 27 – Scott’s Village Mobil Gas Station, 843 Farmington Avenue, Farmington
• March 2 – Mystic Mobil Gas Station, 66 Whitehall Avenue, Mystic
• March 3 – Shell Gas Station, 168 Bridge Street, East Windsor
• March 3 – Food Bag, 960 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike, Southington
• March 5 – Valero Gas Station, 1 Main Street, Ellington
• March 5 – Sunoco Gas Station, 446 Bloomfield Avenue, Windsor
• March 8 – Smoker’s Discount World, 636 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield
• March 16 – Cove Smoke Market, located at 841 Cove Road, Stamford

The trio was arrested April 19 on a federal criminal complaint emanating from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The Deleons are detained and Galarza is released on a $50,000 bond, Avery said in a written statement.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, and the Farmington, Stonington, East Windsor, Southington, Windsor, Wethersfield and Stamford police departments.