Associate Of Convicted Middletown Internet Exchange Robber Sentenced

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Hartford man has been sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison for robberies committed during internet marketplace exchanges in Hartford. He was an associate of a man already convicted for a similar crime in Middletown.

The "victims" had advertised goods on internet marketplaces, a leading prosecutor said.

Marc H. Silverman, acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Jalen LeSalle, 20, of Hartford, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing a series of gunpoint robberies targeting individual sellers of luxury goods over online marketplaces.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the federal ATF, the Hartford Police Department, and the Middletown Police Departments investigated a series of gunpoint robberies of individuals who advertised items for sale on internet marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. At an arranged meeting place to sell their items, which included cell phones and luxury sneakers and accessories, the purported purchaser would brandish a firearm, force the victim to hand over the luxury goods, and flee, case records show.

The investigation revealed that Lasalle and John Villegas, also known as "Kirby," committed five armed robberies in Hartford in late August and early September 2022. Villegas, with his sister Valerie Meneses, also committed an armed robbery in August 2022 in Middletown.

Lasalle was arrested on Feb 3, 2023. On Sept. 18, 2024, he pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), and two counts of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Lasalle, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on Feb.24.

Villegas and Meneses pleaded guilty to related charges. On Jan. 8, 2025, Villegas was sentenced to 156 months of imprisonment and, on October 16, 2024, Meneses was sentenced to 63 months of imprisonment.