William Brown

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A 22-year-old Connecticut man and a 17-year-old are accused of robbing multiple people by luring them to meet using Facebook Marketplace, police said.

William Brown, of Waterbury, is charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as one count of carrying a pistol without a permit, according to police.

Victims told Waterbury police that they were contacted by someone interested in purchasing items listed on Facebook Marketplace. However, when they arrived to meet the supposed buyers, they were robbed, authorities said. Each victim reported that the suspects either brandished a weapon or threatened them, forcing them to surrender their belongings.

Investigators linked the duo to the robberies. Waterbury officers recovered a loaded pistol from Brown that matched the weapon described by the victims, police said.

Waterbury police had warned residents about Facebook Marketplace meet-up robberies that happened on Fiske and Southview Streets over the past several weeks. 

Officers encourage anyone selling things online to meet with the buyers in the lobby of the Waterbury Police Department headquarters to make the transaction.

Brown is being held on a $770,000 bond. Police are working to obtain additional warrants to connect him to other robberies in the area.

The 17-year-old, whose name has not been released, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, police said.