BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A 30-year-old woman has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for her role in a violent carjacking and stalking incident in Waterbury last June. Emily “Emy” Rodriguez was handed a sentence of seven years and three months on Monday, along with three years of supervised release following her incarceration.
Rodriguez was arrested on March 21, 2024, and has been in custody since April 18. She pleaded guilty to charges of stalking that resulted in serious bodily injury and involved the use of a dangerous weapon. The details of her sentencing were released by the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The crime spree began on June 18, 2023, when two all-terrain vehicles were stolen from Rodriguez’s residence. At that time, she was living with her partner, Ricardo Verdejo. Following the theft, Rodriguez and Verdejo took to social media, making multiple posts offering a monetary reward for information about the stolen vehicles.
In a troubling twist, they incorrectly identified a victim as a suspect in the theft. This led to a confrontation that turned violent shortly after the victim was picked up from work by a friend. Upon arriving home, the pair was surrounded by three vehicles containing Rodriguez, Verdejo, and their accomplices.
Verdejo, armed with an assault-style rifle, exited one of the vehicles along with Michael McCann-Ortiz and Luis Cruz. The group confronted the victims, demanding the return of the stolen ATVs while threatening them with physical harm. Reports indicate that Verdejo struck one victim in the head and used the rifle to assault both victims further.
The violence escalated as McCann-Ortiz made lethal threats and inflicted serious injuries on one victim. Even Cruz, who was in recovery from a leg injury, reportedly used his crutch to attack one of the victims, demonstrating the brutal nature of the assault.
Following the attack, the group stole the second victim’s vehicle, which belonged to a relative, and additional personal items. In the aftermath of the incident, they further harassed the victims by hacking into the second victim’s Facebook account, which they accessed through the stolen phone.
Rodriguez is the fourth individual sentenced in connection to this violent incident. Verdejo, McCann-Ortiz, and Cruz have all pleaded guilty and received sentences for their roles.
The investigation, part of a broader effort to tackle gang violence, was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, in collaboration with the Waterbury Police Department.