Three Dominican Men Charged With Gunpoint Robbery Of Apple Products Delivery Truck
Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 12:15Â A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NEW HAVEN, CT.- Earlier this month, three Dominican nationals residing in Lawrence, Massachusetts, were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in connection with their alleged involvement in the gunpoint robbery of an Apple Products delivery truck that occurred in the morning hours of March 25, 2025, in Manchester, Connecticut.
According to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, a Federal Grand Jury for the District of Connecticut returned an indictment charging Jose Miguel Mercado, 32, Jean Gonzalez Paulino, 31, and Daury Rodriguez Contreras, 22, all citizens of the Dominican Republic, and lawfully residing in Lawrence, Massachusetts, with Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery; Hobbs Act Robbery; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence; and Interstate Transportation of Stolen.
According To The Charging Information Alleged In The Indictment
According to the charging information unsealed in the indictment, it is alleged that at approximately 7:00 a.m., on March 25, 2025, Mercado, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez committed a gunpoint robbery of the driver of a delivery truck after the driver pulled into a commuter lot in Manchester, Connecticut, before a scheduled delivery of a shipment of Apple products to an Apple store in South Windsor, Connecticut.
It is further alleged that Mercado, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez stole around $316,753 in Apple phones, tablets, and other accessories during the robbery, and around $1,000 in cash from the driver. After the alleged theft, Mercado, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez traveled to a location in Wethersfield, where they discarded clothing, a license plate, and other items into a dumpster. The three then traveled to the Bronx, New York, where they allegedly unloaded items stolen in the robbery. Many of the stolen items were subsequently registered by New York residents and activated.
It is also alleged that the vehicle used in the robbery had been rented by Gonzalez in Massachusetts through Turo, a peer-to-peer car sharing platform. After the vehicle was returned on March 26, 2025, and while being cleaned, the vehicle’s owners found a box containing an Apple charging cable that appeared to be new.
Mercado, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez were arrested and charged by a federal criminal complaint on August 21, 2025. All three have been detained since their arrest. On Monday, September 15, 2025, Mercado was arraigned in Federal Court in Hartford, Connecticut, and entered a not guilty plea to the charges. Gonzalez and Rodriguez were arraigned and entered not guilty pleas on September 11, 2025.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
