Arno Smith, Carjacking, Connecticut 2018

Hartford Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Carjacking Offense

A 60-year-old Hartford man has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for carjacking in 2018. Arno Smith, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford for committing a carjacking on July 26, 2018.

According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on July 26, 2018, Smith approached a woman who was sitting in her 2006 Honda in a Hartford parking lot and pressed what the woman believed to be a gun against her neck. Smith then grabbed the victim’s purse and the victim got out of the car. Smith pointed the weapon at the victim, told her to walk away, and then drove away in the car. The cremated remains of the victim’s son were in the vehicle.

After the robbery, Smith attempted to use the victim’s credit card at two locations in Bristol.

Smith was arrested on state charges on September 20, 2018. At the time of his arrest, he was sitting in the victim’s car. The remains of the victim’s son were not in the car and have not been recovered.

The investigation also revealed that between July 27 and September 19, 2018, Smith committed robberies at businesses located in Bristol, Southington, Hartford, Bloomfield, South Windsor, and Windsor Locks.

Smith has been detained since his arrest. On October 6, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. The Hobbs Act is a federal law that prohibits robbery affecting interstate commerce.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford, Bristol, Southington, Bloomfield, South Windsor, Windsor Locks, Farmington, and West Hartford Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.

Arno Smith, 60, of Hartford, has been sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing a carjacking in 2018. The crime occurred on July 26, 2018, in Hartford, Connecticut.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation revealed that Smith committed robberies at businesses in multiple towns, including Bristol, Southington, Hartford, Bloomfield, South Windsor, and Windsor Locks.