Denroy Fable, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Connecticut 2023

HARTFORD, CT – Denroy Fable, 40, of Hartford, is headed back to prison for over eight years after a federal judge slammed him with a 102-month sentence for illegally possessing a firearm and violating the terms of his supervised release. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams, marks the culmination of a case rooted in a suspected narcotics operation.

The bust began with an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the Hartford Police Department into a business at 136 Barbour Street, a storefront masquerading as a clothing store but known locally as “The HOLE Ex-Con 360 the movement.” Undercover agents made two controlled purchases of marijuana from the store in October 2022, confirming suspicions of drug trafficking. On October 5, 2022, investigators raided the location, uncovering a veritable pharmacy of illegal substances: crack cocaine, psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine, heroin, synthetic opioid pills, fentanyl disguised as oxycodone, and MDMA, alongside packaging materials, cash, and five handguns.

It was inside a jacket hanging on a shelf that investigators found the weapon directly linked to Fable – a loaded .380 semiautomatic pistol. Forensic analysis confirmed the presence of Fable’s DNA on the firearm. This wasn’t Fable’s first brush with the law. His rap sheet reveals prior state convictions for criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit, and federal convictions for both possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and for trafficking cocaine and crack. The feds clearly weren’t impressed with his history.

A jury found Fable guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on October 26, 2023. But the sentence wasn’t solely for the gun. Fable was already on supervised release – having been sentenced in New Haven federal court in March 2019 to 37 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release for previous offenses. He was released in August 2020, and promptly violated the terms by possessing the firearm in October 2022. Judge Williams didn’t mince words, handing down 78 months for the gun charge, and an additional 24 months for the release violation.

Fable has been cooling his heels in jail since his arrest on October 5, 2022. The DEA Hartford Task Force, comprised of agents from multiple agencies including the Connecticut State Police and numerous local police departments, led the investigation, with assistance from the ATF and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Reed Durham and Brendan J. Keefe prosecuted the case, securing the conviction and lengthy sentence.

The investigation underscores the continued flow of illegal firearms and narcotics into Hartford, and the ongoing efforts of federal and local law enforcement to stem the tide. While Fable is off the streets, the underlying issues that fuel these crimes remain a persistent challenge for the city and the region.

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