Felon Sentenced to 15 Years for Possessing Loaded Firearm

A New Haven man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, authorities announced Monday.

James Brown, 35, of New Haven, was sentenced to 180 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing a loaded Smith and Wesson revolver, a firearm that had moved in interstate commerce.

According to court documents, on December 28, 2012, New Haven Police responded to a 911 call of a domestic dispute involving a weapon. Officers arrived at the identified residence and Brown, who was in the bedroom, was taken into custody. A subsequent search of the bedroom revealed the loaded firearm hidden under the mattress of the bed.

Forensic analysis of the firearm revealed DNA that matched Brown’s DNA, further linking him to the crime. Brown’s extensive criminal history includes convictions for unlawful restraint in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, robbery in the third degree, and sale of a controlled substance.

Brown pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon on June 4, 2014, and was sentenced pursuant to the Armed Career Criminal Act, a federal law imposing severe penalties for firearm or ammunition possession by persons who have been convicted of at least three violent felonies or serious drug offenses.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony E. Kaplan. Brown has been detained since his arrest on December 28, 2012, and will face a minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of life under the federal law.

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