Stratford Man Charged with Robbery, Kidnapping, and Firearm Offenses

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging GUY EUGENE, also known as “Fresh,”  41, of Stratford with robbery, kidnapping, and firearm offenses.

The indictment was returned on July 19, 2023.  Eugene appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since his arrest on July 12, 2023.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on September 26, 2022, Eugene and others kidnapped a victim at gunpoint from the area of the Island Vybez Restaurant located at 690 Beechmont Avenue in Bridgeport.  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.  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.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendants who are awaiting trial are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, which includes personnel from the Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gresham and Rahul Kale.