Man Indicted For Mall Robbery At West Hartford/Farmington Mall

WEST HARTFORD/FARMINGTON, CT — A 58-year-old man has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with a 2024 armed robbery at the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford/Farmington.

Marc H. Silverman, acting U.S. attorney for Connecticut, and James Ferguson, special agent in charge, ATF Boston Field Division, said Thursday a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Willie White, 58, formerly of Bristol, New Britain, and Hartford, with offenses stemming from an armed robbery at the mall.

The indictment was returned on April 16.

White appeared Wednesday, April 23, in New Haven federal court and pleaded not guilty to the charges, Silverman said.

He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on July 15, 2024.

The indictment alleges that, on July 15, 2024, White robbed the Sunglass Hut at the Westfarms Mall.

Authorities said he stole multiple pairs of designer sunglasses and brandished a Glock pistol during the robbery.

Federal officials said White’s criminal history includes more than 15 felony convictions for drug, robbery, burglary, and other offenses.

As a result, it is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

White was under state supervision, including GPS monitoring, at the time of the offense, wrote authorities.

The indictment charges White with:

• One count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

• One count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

• One count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

For more information on the charges, click on this link.