WATERBURY, CT – Two members of the violent 960 gang have confessed to a reign of terror that gripped Waterbury, Connecticut, admitting to multiple shootings, a murder, and a ruthless conspiracy to eliminate rivals. DAYQUAIN SINISTERRA, also known as “Quan,” 26, and AHMED ALVES, also known as “Stones,” 26, both of Waterbury, pleaded guilty this week in federal court, bringing a small measure of justice to a city long plagued by gang warfare.
The case, a joint effort by the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police, stems from a sweeping investigation into the 960 gang’s activities. A 36-count federal grand jury indictment in Hartford in September 2021 laid bare the gang’s alleged involvement in racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder, assault, and obstruction of justice. The investigation sought to dismantle the gang’s grip on Waterbury’s streets.
Sinisterra, facing the brunt of the charges, admitted to a litany of violent acts. Court documents reveal he participated in drive-by shootings on Lounsbury Street and Scott Road on September 21, 2018, in retaliation for the murder of a 960 associate. He further confessed to attempting to murder rival gang members on October 6, 2018, an attack that left one man wounded. The most chilling admission: his involvement in a shooting on October 11, 2018, that resulted in the death of innocent bystander Fransua Guzman, 30, and left another victim paralyzed. Sinisterra also admitted to shooting a rival gang member on November 1, 2018, and participating in another drive-by on November 18, 2018, that injured two more.
Alves, while not directly involved in the shootings to the same degree as Sinisterra, played a crucial role in enabling the gang’s violence. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances and being an accessory after the fact. He admitted to trafficking drugs to further the 960’s criminal enterprise. More damningly, he confessed to aiding 960 members after the November 18, 2018 shooting, picking them up in a stolen vehicle, transporting them to a safe house where they stashed firearms, and then retrieving them after the car was abandoned in Meriden. His actions directly facilitated the gang’s ability to continue its violent operations.
Sinisterra is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley on June 17, 2024, where, if the binding plea agreement is accepted, he faces 35 years in federal prison. He has been held without bail since his arrest on November 21, 2018. Alves is currently released on a $100,000 bond and is set to be sentenced by Judge Dooley on June 13, 2024, facing a maximum sentence of 35 years. The prosecution hopes these convictions will deliver a significant blow to the 960 gang’s influence in Waterbury.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, along with Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District, Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s New Haven Division, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Boston, and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo, all announced the guilty pleas, signaling a continued commitment to dismantling violent criminal organizations and bringing those responsible for inflicting harm on the community to justice. The investigation remains ongoing, and further arrests are anticipated.
Related Federal Cases
- Marquis Williams Sentenced to Mail Theft, Hartford CT, 2023 · Connecticut
- Kenneth Thom Pleads Guilty to Investment Scam, New York NY, 2026 · Connecticut
- Ted Albin, Medicare Scam Mastermind, New York NY, 2023 · Connecticut
- Enrique Acevedo Barocio, Drunk Driving Fatalities, Houston TX, 2024 · Connecticut
- FDIC Pushes Back GENIUS Act Stablecoin Application Deadline · California
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Organized Crime|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Press Release
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News