Stratford Man Charged With Robbery, Kidnapping & Gun Offenses: Feds

STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford man faces federal charges in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of a victim outside a restaurant in Bridgeport in 2022, according to officials.

A federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging Guy Eugene, also known as “Fresh,” 41, with robbery, kidnapping, and firearm offenses, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, announced Wednesday.

The indictment was returned on July 19. Eugene appeared in federal court in Bridgeport on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to officials. He has been detained since his arrest on July 12.

Eugene and others are accused of kidnapping a victim at gunpoint on Sept. 26, 2022 in the area of the Island Vybez Restaurant at 690 Beechmont Avenue in Bridgeport, according to a news release.

“Shortly before the kidnapping, the victim withdrew $3,000 from an ATM and intended to use the money for a monthly rent payment for the restaurant,” officials wrote in the news release. “During the kidnapping, a masked assailant hit the victim on the head with a gun, and the victim was dragged into a rear of a vehicle. In the car, Eugene and others threatened to kill the victim and demanded that he call someone to bring them more money. Eugene and others took from the victim a bank deposit bag with $3,000, and his gold earrings, iPhone, car keys, house keys, and keys to the restaurant. The victim was released on Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport.”

The indictment charges Eugene with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; kidnapping, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of life; and carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, according to officials.