Grand Jury Indicts Hartford Man for Carjacking Offense

U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Connecticut
6 November 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a grand jury sitting in Hartford returned an indictment today charging ARNO SMITH, 56, of Hartford, with carjacking.

The indictment alleges that, on July 26, 2018, Smith used threats of violence to steal a 2006 Honda Accord from a victim in Hartford.

Smith was arrested on related state charges on September 20, 2018, and has been detained since his arrest.

If convicted of the charge of carjacking, Smith faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.