ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, Gunpoint Robberies, Connecticut 2022

Four men from Bridgeport, Connecticut, have been charged with a series of gunpoint robberies that took place in 2022. The indictment, which was returned under seal on July 11, 2024, alleges that the men committed robberies at multiple retail stores and an Amazon delivery truck in Bridgeport and surrounding areas.

According to the indictment, the men committed the following robberies:

On December 15, 2022, ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, 21, and MICKYEEM PROFIT, 21, committed a gunpoint robbery of Omega Deli, located at 999 Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport.
On December 21, 2022, ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, 21, SHASSON DANIELS, 20, and MICKYEEM PROFIT, 21, committed a gunpoint robbery of Milford Convenience & Tobacco, located at 784 Boston Post Road in Milford.
On December 23, 2022, ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, 21, SHASSON DANIELS, 20, RAJONNE BLAKE, 25, MICKYEEM PROFIT, 21, and another individual committed a gunpoint robbery of an Amazon delivery truck and merchandise in Bridgeport.
On December 23, 2022, ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, 21, SHASSON DANIELS, 20, and MICKYEEM PROFIT, 21, committed a gunpoint robbery of Smoke Shop, located at 2175 Boston Avenue in Bridgeport.
On January 2, 2023, ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, 21, SHASSON DANIELS, 20, and RAJONNE BLAKE, 25, committed a gunpoint robbery of Cumberland Farms, located at 1290 West Broad Street in Stratford.

The indictment charges the men with multiple counts of interference with commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act robbery. This offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count. Additionally, SHASSON DANIELS and MICKYEEM PROFIT are charged with carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. ELIJAH RAFFINGTON and RAJONNE BLAKE are charged with aiding and abetting in the same offense, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

The indictment was unsealed on August 1, 2024, after RAJONNE BLAKE was arrested. ELIJAH RAFFINGTON, SHASSON DANIELS, and MICKYEEM PROFIT had been detained in state custody. Each of the defendants was arraigned in New Haven federal court, entered pleas of not guilty, and were ordered detained.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery stressed that 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.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Stratford Police Department, and the Milford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime.

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