Man Sentenced In Armed Robbery Of North Haven Gas Station: Feds

NORTH HAVEN, CT — A New Haven man was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison in connection with the gunpoint robbery of a North Haven gas station last year, according to officials.

Robert Smith, also known as “Robbie,” was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following the prison term, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced in a news release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an ATF and New Haven Police Department investigation found that Christian Borrero, of New Haven, committed a series of gunpoint robberies and a carjacking in late June and early July 2022.

“On July 6, 2022, Smith assisted Borrero’s commission of an armed robbery of a Shell Gas Station located at 195 State Street in North Haven,” officials wrote in a news release. “After the robbery, Smith drove Borrero and a juvenile, who also participated in the robbery, to Meriden where they stole a car from a woman who was parked in her driveway.”

Smith has been detained since January 3, 2023. On September 28, 2023, he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery, and aiding and abetting the carrying, using, and brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Borrero pleaded guilty to related charges and, on April 1, 2024, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.