Jalen Lasalle, a 20-year-old from Hartford, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies targeting sellers on internet marketplaces. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala and includes three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), alongside the Hartford and Middletown Police Departments. The robberies took place in late August and early September 2022 and involved victims who were selling items like cell phones and luxury sneakers through platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. At these arranged meetings, Lasalle and his accomplice John Villegas would brandish firearms to steal the goods before fleeing.
Lasalle was apprehended on February 3, 2023, and later pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, as well as two counts related to using a firearm during these crimes. He is scheduled to report to prison on February 24 while currently released on a $50,000 bond.
Villegas also faced charges in connection with these crimes. He was sentenced earlier this month to over 13 years in prison. Another accomplice, Valerie Meneses, received a sentence of just over five years last October for her involvement in one of the robberies.
The case prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and A. Reed Durham. Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman advised individuals engaging in online sales that require meeting strangers to choose visible and monitored locations for transactions.