A 38-year-old Romanian man, Stefan Alexandru Barabas, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in connection to a harrowing 2007 home invasion in Connecticut. The incident involved Barabas and two accomplices entering a residence in South Kent, Connecticut, where they injected a wealthy couple with a substance they claimed was a deadly virus.
The intruders, wearing masks and armed with knives and fake firearms, demanded $8.5 million from the victims, millionaire philanthropist Anne Hendricks Bass and abstract artist Julian Lethbridge. When the victims were unable to meet the demands, they were drugged with a sleeping aid, and the intruders fled the scene in the homeowner's Jeep Cherokee.
Following an extensive investigation, Barabas fled the United States but was later arrested in Hungary in 2022. It was revealed that Barabas, along with Emanuel Nicolescu and Alexandru Nicolescu, were the individuals who entered the home that fateful night. The group had fled the country during the investigation, but Nicolescu and Kennedy were eventually indicted and sentenced to prison terms.
Tragically, Anne Hendricks Bass passed away in 2020, having made significant contributions to the ballet community in the United States. Julian Lethbridge, the other victim, expressed gratitude for the efforts of law enforcement in bringing the perpetrators to justice but believes there may be others involved who have yet to be held accountable.
Barabas' sentencing is scheduled for September 11, where he faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison. The plea agreement between prosecutors and the defense suggests a sentence between six and seven years may be appropriate, pending court approval. The surviving victim, Julian Lethbridge, continues to seek closure and hopes for full accountability for all involved in the heinous crime.
