A Connecticut man was sentenced Wednesday to 28 years in federal prison in connection with a string of robberies and carjackings in a three-month span in 2021, federal officials said.
Authorities alleged Christian Luis Velez-Ruiz, 25, of New Britain, committed 28 armed robberies of convenience stores, six armed carjackings and three other car thefts in Connecticut between September and December 2021, the US attorney's office for that state said.
Velez-Ruiz's sentence in US distirct court in Hartford stems from his guilty pleas last year to five counts involving some of the crimes. But in pleading guilty, he "took responsibility for all the offenses he committed during his crime spree," the US attorney's office said.
"It was just a sad case for everyone, but the sentencing was not unexpected," Velez-Ruiz's attorney David A. Moraghan told CNN.
Federal prosecutors believed that Velez-Ruiz enjoyed the thrill of terrorizing his victims, according to the government's sentencing memorandum.
"In almost every incident, he would rack the slide of his pistol in front of the victim to show them that he was ready to kill. He stuck his firearm inches from the victims' face, made death threats, and demanded cash, cigarettes, and other properties," the sentencing memorandum reads.
"(Velez-Ruiz) seemingly reveled in the fear he inflicted on his gunpoint victims," the memorandum states. "That is the only explanation for the longevity and the frequency of his robbery spree."
The defendant pleaded guilty in December to one count of carjacking, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, the US attorney's office said.
'Spree' started in September 2021, officials say
The series of crimes began in September 2021, officials say, with a carjacking.
Velez-Ruiz stole a woman's car at gunpoint in New Britain on September 2, 2021, according to a criminal complaint filed in US district court.
Two hours later, he stole another car from the driveway of an elderly man in Southington, Connecticut, the criminal complaint reads.
Another example of his crimes, officials say, was a robbery at a gas station.
On September 12, 2021, he robbed the cashier of a gas station in Southington at gunpoint, according to the complaint. He ordered the cashier to place money in a black bag, and he also stole cigarettes, as well as the cashier's necklace and bracelet, before fleeing, the complaint reads.
In November 2021, the FBI announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to Velez-Ruiz's arrest, and he was arrested about a month later after fleeing from police, the US attorney's office said.
