Derrick Rivera, a 22-year-old resident of Bridgeport, was sentenced on Mar. 16 to 144 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release for committing two armed robberies at local businesses in 2022, according to United States Attorney David X. Sullivan.
The sentencing follows a series of violent incidents that affected both victims and the broader community. The trauma from these crimes led one business owner to sell his restaurant after being injured during the robbery.
Court documents show that on November 11, 2022, Rivera entered a barbershop on Wood Avenue in Bridgeport while brandishing a firearm. He robbed an employee and two customers before fleeing with cash. Two weeks later, on November 25, Rivera targeted a restaurant on Wade Street. During this incident, he pointed a gun at the owner behind the register and demanded money. As he fled with cash taken from the register, Rivera fired twice toward the owner and employees; one bullet struck the digital display of the cash register. Shattered glass and plastic from the register, along with a shell casing, caused injuries to the owner’s face, eye, hand, and stomach.
In his victim impact statement submitted to the court, the restaurant owner said that “the trauma he suffers from the robbery and shooting forced him to sell the restaurant.” Rivera has been detained since his arrest on November 25, 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025 to interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) as well as carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The investigation was conducted by the Bridgeport Police Department, Stratford Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins prosecuted the case.
The sentence reflects ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address violent crime in Bridgeport.