A New Haven man, William Rosario Lopez, was found guilty by a federal jury on April 28, 2025, in connection with a series of armed robberies at Connecticut gas stations during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came from Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The trial presented evidence that, beginning on March 18, 2020, Rosario Lopez committed a string of robberies at various gas stations, starting with a Shell Gas Station in Vernon. There, he reportedly used a silver pistol to coerce the store employee into giving him cash before fleeing. Similar tactics were used in subsequent robberies at the Fleet Gas Station in Southington, a Shell Gas Station in Waterbury, and yet another Shell Gas Station in Ansonia.
The robbery spree continued to a Citgo Gas Station in New Britain on March 26, 2020, where the suspect once again used a pistol to intimidate the store employee into handing over cash. During the series of crimes, Rosario Lopez reportedly wore masks—ranging from black to surgical-type—to conceal his identity.
Solimar Rodriguez Gonzalez was identified as an accomplice who served as a lookout during at least two of these incidents in Vernon and Waterbury, as evidenced by store surveillance footage.
Both individuals were apprehended on April 9, 2020. Investigators subsequently found a silver .25 caliber semiautomatic pistol and ammunition in the vehicle they used.
In addition to the present robbery charges, Rosario Lopez has a criminal record including attempted murder and weapon-related offenses in New York, as well as multiple serious charges in Puerto Rico.
Rosario Lopez was convicted of four counts of obstruction of interstate commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, one count of attempted obstruction, four counts of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 28 years, with a possibility of life imprisonment. Rosario Lopez has been in custody since his arrest, though a sentencing date has not yet been set.
Gonzalez had previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting robbery and is awaiting sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, working alongside the Connecticut State Police and several local police departments. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham, Robert S. Ruff, and Daniel P. Gordon.
