Danbury Man Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Participating in Armed Home Invasion

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ROBERT CHERRY, also known as “Rob Base,” 45, of Danbury, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in a violent home invasion robbery of illegal drugs and drug trafficking proceeds.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2013 the Danbury Police Department began investigating a narcotics trafficking network that maintained a series of drug distribution locations, known as trap houses, in Danbury, out of which members of the organization sold crack cocaine.  The organization also rented hotel rooms where they packaged and distributed narcotics.  During the investigation, law enforcement learned that the individuals who headed the drug trafficking ring had organized and committed armed home invasion robberies of marijuana dealers.

CHERRY participated in a home invasion robbery on February 18, 2013.  During the robbery, CHERRY and other masked men forced entry into the residence of a known marijuana dealer.  One of CHERRY’s co-defendants struck a male victim in the head with a handgun repeatedly before dropping the gun during a struggle.  While they were fighting, CHERRY grabbed a knife from a knife block on the kitchen counter.  CHERRY and the other home invaders ultimately fled the residence without taking any property.

Investigators recovered the dropped firearm and found that it was fully loaded.  CHERRY was subsequently identified and arrested.

On October 1, 2014, CHERRY pleaded guilty to one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery.

This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the Danbury Police Department.  The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia and Meriden Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Dayton and Vanessa Richards.