New Haven Man, 19, Indicted By Grand Jury In Carjackings Cases: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — A 19-year-old from New Haven was indicted on federal carjacking, firearm and conspiracy offenses, according to the Justice Department.

The FBI announced the charges against Tihaja Ortiz-Tucker, known as “TJ,” on Monday.

According to U.S. Attorney for CT Vanessa Roberts Avery, and as alleged in court documents, on at least three occasions between March 2022 and July 2022, Ortiz-Tucker and others posed as interested car buyers on Facebook Marketplace.

Ortiz-Tucker and his co-conspirators then arranged to meet in person with the victim-sellers for the purported purpose of test-driving and purchasing the motor vehicles, Avery said. At the conclusion of the purported test drives, Ortiz-Tucker and his co-conspirators stole, at gunpoint, the vehicles, as well as certificates of title, bills of sale, and other ownership documents, federal prosecutors said. They then posed as the legitimate owners of the stolen motor vehicles and advertised them for sale on the OfferUp online platform, per Avery.

Ortiz-Tucker was also allegedly involved in two Uber carjackings in May where, in both instances, an Uber driver picked him up in New Haven, drove to Wallingford and there, the cars were stolen at gunpoint, per the US Attorney. Both cars were later found in Hamden.

Ortiz-Tucker was arrested on a criminal complaint July 22, according to Avery.

The indictment charges Ortiz-Tucker with one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum five years; three counts of taking a motor vehicle from a person by force, violence and intimidation, aka carjacking, which carries a maximum 15 years on each count; and one count of carrying, using and brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence, which has a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least seven years.

Ortiz-Tucker has been detained since Sept, 2 when his bond was revoked.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Task Force, the Connecticut State Police and the Wallingford, New Haven, Hamden, Waterbury, and Bridgeport Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah P. Karwan and Tara E. Levens.

U.S. Attorney Avery encouraged those who sell and purchase items online, and need to meet an individual in person to complete the sale, to use a visible, monitored location. Contact your local police department to see if it offers a monitored meeting location, or search online for a nearby monitored location.