Stefan Alexandru Barabas, 38, a Romanian citizen, was sentenced to seven years in prison on December 6, 2024, for his involvement in a 2007 home invasion in South Kent, Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced today.
The crime occurred on April 15, 2007, when Barabas and his co-conspirators, Emanuel Nicolescu, Alexandru Lucian Nicolescu, and Michael N. Kennedy, entered a home in South Kent around midnight, masked and armed with knives and imitation firearms. They bound and blindfolded two adult victims, threatening them with a deadly virus and demanding $8.5 million.
When the victims could not meet the demand, the assailants drugged them with sleeping aids and fled in the homeowner’s stolen Jeep Cherokee, which was later abandoned in New Rochelle, New York. The perpetrators left behind an accordion case containing critical evidence, including weapons, syringes, and gloves, which was later found in Jamaica Bay, New York.
An extensive investigation led to the identification of Barabas and his accomplices through DNA evidence, cell tower data, and witness reports. The group had planned the crime meticulously, acquiring stun guns and two-way radios. Kennedy drove the group to the residence and later returned to pick them up after the crime.
Barabas, who fled the United States following the crime, was arrested in Hungary on August 16, 2022. He pleaded guilty on June 18, 2024, to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion.
The sentencing for Barabas follows the convictions of his co-conspirators:
Emanuel Nicolescu: Arrested in 2011, sentenced to 20 years in August 2012.
Alexandru Nicolescu: Arrested in 2013, sentenced to 121 months in May 2019.
Michael N. Kennedy (also known as Nicolae Helerea): Pleaded guilty in 2012, sentenced to 48 months in May 2016.
This case marks the resolution of a decade-long investigation, and Barabas will serve his sentence for his role in this violent extortion plot.
