Last Of Five Suspects In Enfield AT&T Store Robbery Sentenced

BRIDGEPORT, CT — The last of five suspects who pleaded guilty to a string of violent armed robberies at AT&T stores in Connecticut and western Massachusetts in 2021, including Enfield, was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months of imprisonment.

Ronaldo Smith, 25, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill. On Jan. 5, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2021, Smith, Alex Josephs, Shaquille Raymond and Deshawn Baugh committed several violent armed robberies of AT&T stores in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. They typically entered the stores shortly before closing time, pointed weapons at employees, and, at times, pistol-whipped, dragged and shoved employees toward the back inventory room. They then held the employees at gunpoint while loading large bags with cell phones and other electronics, Avery said.

The group stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. Saviana Bourne, who worked at AT&T, helped plan the robberies, served as a getaway driver and coordinated the sale of the stolen merchandise, Avery said.

Investigation revealed Smith, Josephs and Raymond robbed AT&T stores in Newington on Jan. 29, 2021, and Enfield on Feb. 24, 2021. Baugh then joined the conspiracy and together they robbed an AT&T store in Canton on April 15, 2021, and attempted to rob stores in Torrington and Glastonbury in May 2021, but were locked out of the stores, Avery said.

On June 6, 2021, Smith and his associates, armed with a semiautomatic pistol, two revolvers and a semiautomatic rifle, robbed an AT&T store in West Springfield, Mass. After the robbery, they fled in a vehicle driven by Bourne, who led police on a high-speed chase that ended when their vehicle collided with a Massachusetts State Police cruiser. Smith, Josephs, Raymond, Baugh, and Bourne were arrested, and a search of the vehicle revealed more than $150,000 in stolen merchandise, as well as the firearms used during the robbery, according to Avery.

Underhill ordered Smith to pay restitution of $298,073.86, which reflects the losses from the Newington, Enfield, and Canton robberies. The property stolen in the West Springfield robbery was recovered, Avery said.

Josephs, Raymond, Baugh, and Bourne also pleaded guilty. On March 1, 2023, Baugh was sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution of $124,842.45, which reflects the loss from the Canton robbery. On March 29, 2023, Raymond was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment and Bourne was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment. On May 23, 2023, Josephs was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment. Josephs, Raymond, and Bourne were also ordered to pay restitution of $298,073.86, Avery said.

Josephs and Raymond, who are citizens of Jamaica, face immigration proceedings when they are released from prison, Avery said.