New Haven Fence Sentenced For Buying Stolen Goods

NEW HAVEN, CT — A New Haven man was sentenced to six years in federal prison for running a large-scale fencing operation where he bought stolen property, often from opioid addicts looking for a quick fix.

George Connelly Jr., 48, was one of the operators of Ace Amusements, a secondhand store on Kimberly Avenue, according to the U.S. Attorney District of Connecticut. Thieves would steal from Home Depot, Target, CVS and Lowes and sell the goods to Ace Amusements for about one-third the retail price.

Connelly and Paul Muzyka would then resell the items at the store or on eBay. They also sold to other resellers.

There were at least $1.5 million in sales on eBay from 2007 to 2016 for items that were bought by Ace Amusements.

Connelly was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and two counts of interstate transport of stolen property.

Connelly will forfeit his interest in a house worth more than $86,000 and more than $10,000 seized from his and Ace Amusement's bank accounts along with more than $13,000 seized form his person and locations inside the store.

He will report to prison in December.

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