Jaime Diaz, Straw Purchasing Firearms, Hartford CT, 2023

HARTFORD, CT – Jaime Diaz, 30, of Hartford, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 24 months behind bars for running a ghost gun operation, according to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea handed down the sentence today, adding three years of supervised release to Diaz’s term.

Between August 2020 and November 2021, Diaz allegedly acted as a ‘straw purchaser,’ acquiring approximately 17 handguns from local Connecticut firearm dealers. The catch? Court documents reveal Diaz was an active user of controlled substances at the time, making him legally prohibited from owning firearms. But that didn’t stop him. He wasn’t collecting these weapons for sport.

Diaz flipped the guns for cash and, disturbingly, narcotics. Federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) moved in on November 30, 2021, interviewing Diaz and seizing the single handgun he hadn’t yet managed to unload. He attempted to cover his tracks, buying one weapon back from the dealer he initially purchased it from. Another of his illegally obtained firearms surfaced when Hartford Police Department officers recovered it from a suspect arrested on drug trafficking charges.

But the majority – a chilling 14 of the 17 firearms – remain unaccounted for, lost to the streets of Hartford and beyond. This raises serious questions about where those weapons ended up and the potential for future violence. Diaz pleaded guilty on September 7, 2022, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of dealing in firearms without a license. He’s been held without bond since April 10, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery emphasized the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement and community partnerships. While the feds tout PSN as an ‘evidence-based program,’ the fact remains that 14 guns are still missing, and Hartford residents are left to wonder if this sentence is enough to truly make a difference.

Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham prosecuted the case. The ATF investigation highlights the continued flow of illegal firearms into Connecticut and the lengths to which individuals will go to profit from the trade. The agency’s Boston Field Division led the probe, a grim reminder that the fight against gun violence is far from over.

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