Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment yesterday charging DIJON CHAMPAGNIE, 21, of Bridgeport, with robbery and firearm offenses stemming from a violent drug-related robbery in West Haven.
As alleged in the indictment, on July 1, 2019, Champagnie robbed narcotics from an individual by means of actual and threatened force, violence and fear of injury. During the robbery, Champagnie brandished and discharged a firearm.
Champagnie has been detained in state custody since his arrest on related state charges on July 20, 2019.
The indictment charges Champagnie with one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life imprisonment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the West Haven, New Haven and Hartford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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