New Haven Man Charged with 2 Gunpoint Robberies

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 New Haven has returned a five-count indictment charging GARY GIBSON, JR., 24, of New Haven, with offenses stemming from the armed robberies of two convenience stores in May.

The indictment was returned on September 12, 2023.  Gibson appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and pleaded not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on May 8, 2023.

As alleged in the indictment, on May 7, 2023, Gibson, brandishing a Glock semiautomatic handgun, robbed the Star Food & Convenience Store, located at 193 Boston Post Road in West Haven.  On May 8, 2023, Gibson robbed the 7th Haven Convenience Store, located at 129 Sylvan Avenue in New Haven, and discharged the same handgun during the robbery.  Gibson stole cash from both stores.

New Haven Police, with the assistance of West Haven Police, arrested Gibson shortly after the New Haven robbery and seized from him the handgun he allegedly used during the robberies.  The gun had an attached laser sight and a loaded 15-round magazine.

It is alleged that Gibson’s criminal history includes six felony convictions for weapon possession, robbery, and larceny offenses.  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.

The indictment charges Gibson with two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least seven years; one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least 10 years; and one count of  unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

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

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force with the assistance of the New Haven and West Haven Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.