Federal authorities announced on Apr. 16 that Kelijah Richardson and Anibal Rivera, both from Bridgeport, have been charged by indictment with robbing a jewelry store in Clinton earlier this year.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into a series of at least 20 robberies and burglaries targeting jewelry stores and kiosks across Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts between September 2025 and February 2026. According to court documents, suspects wore dark clothing, masks, and gloves during the incidents, used tools to break display cases, stole jewelry items valued at significant amounts, and fled using vehicles with either no license plates or ones that were stolen or obscured.
A grand jury in Bridgeport returned the indictment on March 18. The document alleges that Richardson and Rivera robbed the KAY Outlet in Clinton on Feb. 3, stealing approximately $184,000 worth of merchandise. Both are charged with interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act—a federal offense carrying a maximum sentence of up to twenty years in prison.
Richardson was arrested on March 9 based on a federal criminal complaint. He appeared in federal court in Bridgeport where he pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on a $250,000 bond. Rivera has remained detained since his arrest on Feb. 3 following an alleged separate robbery involving about $259,000 worth of jewelry from Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester last September.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan said: “An indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative focused on combating illegal immigration as well as violent crime perpetrated by cartels or transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut serves the entire state while prosecuting federal crimes and managing civil cases for the United States government according to its official website. The office operates locations in New Haven, Hartford, and Bridgeport; it employs about sixty-eight assistant attorneys along with fifty-seven support staff members; it is also one of the oldest such offices established back in 1789 according to its official website. The office advances justice initiatives designed to enhance quality of life for residents statewide according to its official website.