Man with Long Criminal History Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Mall Store

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIE WHITE, 59, formerly residing in Bristol, New Britain, and Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to 102 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for offenses stemming from an armed robbery at the Westfarms Mall.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 15, 2024, White, brandishing a handgun, robbed the Sunglass Hut at the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford. White stole six pairs of designer sunglasses with a total retail value of approximately $2,811 during the robbery.

Shortly after the robbery, Westfarms Mall security identified White from surveillance footage of the incident and prior dealings with him shoplifting merchandise from the mall. Investigators learned that White was under state supervision and wearing a GPS monitoring device, and quickly located and arrested him at a restaurant in New Britain. White possessed the stolen sunglasses, a Glock pistol, and a 9mm magazine loaded with 17 rounds of hollow point ammunition at the time of his arrest. The pistol had been reported stolen in Alabama and was affixed with a "Glock switch," a conversion device that allows certain firearms to fire fully automatically.

White's criminal history includes numerous felony convictions for drug, robbery, burglary, and other 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.

White has been detained since his arrest on July 15, 2024. On March 17, 2026, he pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the West Hartford Police Department and the New Britain Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel.