Carlyle Henry Sentenced for Yale Campus Drug and Gun Crime

Bridgeport’s gritty streets are no match for the justice system as Carlyle Henry, a 39-year-old New Haven native, was handed a five-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking and firearm possession. United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery, announced the stiff penalty today following U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill’s ruling.

The nightmarish crime took place on October 12, 2022, when Henry collided his vehicle into a retaining wall at Yale University. The Yale Police Department discovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a stash of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and counterfeit pills laced with the deadly substance during their investigation.

Henry’s criminal history is as dark as the streets he preyed upon. State convictions for firearms possession and narcotics distribution, along with a federal narcotics conviction in 2006 that saw him locked up for 50 months, paint a picture of a man who has long ignored the laws designed to protect innocent citizens.

Since his arrest, Henry has been detained, leading up to his guilty plea on November 15, 2022, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The ATF and Yale Police Department conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Clark handled the prosecution under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s initiative aimed at reducing violent crime.

PSN is an evidence-based program that has shown effectiveness in curbing violent crime rates by partnering with local prevention and reentry programs. Through this comprehensive approach, PSN targets the most violent offenders for enforcement while working to reduce crime on a lasting basis.

This sentence sends a stark message: even the hallowed halls of Yale University are not immune to the iron fist of justice.

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