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Humberto Soto was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in Bridgeport to five years of supervised release, said Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. attorney for Connecticut.
This case stems from “Operation Samson,” an initiative headed by the ATF and the Bridgeport and New Haven Police Departments that targeted violent criminals, illegal firearm possession and firearm trafficking.
In the spring of 2014, 40 ATF special agents and personnel from Connecticut and across the country were deployed with New Haven and Bridgeport Police to conduct numerous covert operations.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2014, the ATF began an investigation into Carlos “Camby” Colon and Carlos “Joel” Colon, known narcotics and firearm traffickers in Bridgeport.
Law enforcement had information that Joel Colon wanted to commit an armed robbery of a drug dealer. Through the use of an ATF agent working undercover, investigators learned the Colons recruited Soto and others to commit an armed robbery of what they believed to be a narcotics stash house of 15 kilograms of cocaine.
In recorded conversations, Soto agreed to get a gun for the robbery and said any occupants of the house who brandished a weapon would be shot.
On April 11, 2014, Soto, the Colons, Markus Mendez, Nelson Diaz, Trevor Pierce and Hiram “Gringo” Mojica gathered in Stamford where they believed they would learn the address of the stash house, and would then conduct the robbery. All seven were arrested at that time.
A search of the center console of the vehicle that Soto and Mendez drove turned up a loaded and cocked Ruger 9mm pistol. A search of the car that Diaz, Pierce and Mojica drove also found a loaded .40-caliber pistol.
Soto has been detained since his arrest. On March 2, 2015, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Camby Colon, Joel Colon, Mendez, Diaz, Pierce and Mojica have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
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