Prison Time For Man Who Robbed Major CT Mall In Farmington/West Hartford: Feds

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A 59-year-old man with an extensive criminal history was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for a 2024 armed robbery at Westfarms Mall in which he stole nearly $3,000 worth of designer sunglasses while carrying a handgun equipped with a device capable of converting it into a machine gun, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.

Willie White, formerly of Bristol, New Britain and Hartford, was sentenced Friday, Nov. 6, to 102 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, according to David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut.

U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell imposed the sentence in New Haven.

According to court documents and statements made in court, White robbed the Sunglass Hut store at Westfarms Mall in West Hartford/Farmington on July 15, 2024.

During the robbery, White brandished a handgun and stole six pairs of designer sunglasses with a combined retail value of approximately $2,811, prosecutors said.

Shortly after the robbery, mall security personnel identified White from surveillance footage and previous encounters involving shoplifting at the shopping center.

Investigators determined that White was under state supervision and wearing a GPS monitoring device, which helped authorities locate him.

Police arrested White at a restaurant in New Britain shortly after the robbery.

At the time of his arrest, White possessed the stolen sunglasses, a Glock handgun, and a 9mm magazine loaded with 17 rounds of hollow-point ammunition, according to federal prosecutors.

Investigators determined that the handgun had been reported stolen in Alabama.

The firearm was also equipped with a "Glock switch," a conversion device that allows certain semiautomatic firearms to fire automatically.

Federal prosecutors said White had numerous previous felony convictions involving drugs, robbery, burglary, and other offenses.

Under federal law, people convicted of felony offenses are generally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition that have traveled in interstate or foreign commerce.

White had been detained since his arrest on July 15, 2024.

On March 17, 2026, he pleaded guilty to three federal offenses:

• Interference with commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act robbery.
• Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
• Unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the West Hartford and New Britain police departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel prosecuted the case.

For information on the case, click on this link.