United States Attorney's Office
District of Connecticut

July 16, 2008
Press Release

BRIDGEPORT MAN SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR AIDING THE ROBBERY OF GREENWICH JEWELRY STORE

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERIC ORTIZ, 36, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his assistance in the robbery of a Greenwich jewelry store. On February 14, 2008, ORTIZ pleaded guilty to one count of committing Hobbs Act robbery.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, on September 1, 2006, ORTIZ aided and abetted the armed robbery of Betteridge Jewelers in Greenwich. In an effort to facilitate the success of the planned robbery of Betteridge Jewelers, he and his brother, Ernesto Ortiz, created a diversion on Greenwich Avenue by lighting fire to an automobile they had driven to a location just south of Betteridge Jewelers. After lighting fire to the vehicle, the ORTIZ brothers fled the scene in another vehicle.

At about the same time, Charles Kertesz entered Betteridge Jewelers wearing a motorcycle helmet and brandishing a firearm and proceeded to rob the store at gunpoint, taking approximately $4.7 million worth of jewelry. Kertesz fled the store with the jewelry in a backpack and mounted a stolen motorcycle to escape. In the course of fleeing the scene, Kertesz dropped the backpack containing the stolen jewelry.

ORTIZ has been in custody since his arrest on April 25, 2007.

On June 17, Judge Burns sentenced Kertesz to 258 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing this armed robbery and the armed robberies of three other jewelry stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release following a prior federal conviction.

Ernesto Ortiz has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New Haven Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force, and the members of local law enforcement agencies including the Greenwich, South Windsor, Glastonbury, Bridgeport, Ansonia, Shelton and Natick (MA) Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Kaplan and Assistant United States Attorney Paul Murphy.