Norwalk teen offered plea deal in Stamford mall assault, robbery

STAMFORD — State prosecutors offered a Norwalk teen a two-year prison stint in return for a guilty plea to a reduced charge in the case of an attempted armed robbery and assault of a boy at the Stamford Town Center.

Assistant State's Attorney Margaret Moscati extended Michael Cuevas, 19, a plea offer Wednesday at Superior Court in Stamford in which he would plead guilty to a substituted charge and receive a 10-year prison sentence suspended after two years.

Moscati did not say what the substituted charge would be, however she said the new charge would not carry with it the mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence that Cuevas currently faces if found guilty.

Cuevas and his attorney Kevin Black have until Sept. 21 to accept or reject the offer, Moscati said.

Cuevas is one of two suspects charged with first-degree robbery, attempt to commit firstdegree robbery, seconddegree assault and conspiracy to commit seconddegree assault stemming from the alleged daytime assault of a 14-year-old boy in a public seating area at the mall on July 9, 2021.

According to Cuevas's arrest warrant, the victim was sitting in the mall at about 5:30 p.m. when the assault occurred.

Multiple eyewitnesses told police that the teenager was attacked by two young men, who punched and kicked him in the head multiple times before robbing him, according to the warrant.

During the attack, one of the suspects dropped a handgun from what appeared to be a fanny pack, the warrant said. The gun was recovered by one of the teens, at which point the pair fled the area, police said in the warrant.

The victim, who police said was “semiconscious” when they arrived, was transported to Stamford Hospital for treatment.

Cuevas and his co-defendant, who was 16 at the time and who was charged as a juvenile, were later arrested in the area of Seaside Avenue and Sylvan Knoll Road, police said at the time. The co-defendant is still facing charges.