Jose Perez, Illegal Gun Possession, Connecticut 2021

Hartford Man Found Guilty of Felon in Possession of Firearm

A federal jury in Hartford has found Jose Perez, 40, of Hartford, guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon. The trial before U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant began yesterday and the jury returned the verdict this afternoon. This is the first conviction under Project Safe Neighborhoods in the District of Connecticut.

Prior to November 2016, Perez had sustained state felony convictions for narcotics and burglary offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. On November 13, 2016, Hartford Police detectives responding to a ShotSpotter activation recovered a loaded revolver in a car last registered to Perez and containing documents addressed to Perez in the glove box. DNA analysis of the seized firearm indicated Perez had handled the firearm.

Perez was apprehended on January 19, 2021. At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Perez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Perez is released on a $30,000 bond pending sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the Hartford Police Department and the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Maria del Pilar Gonzalez. The conviction stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that aims to reduce violent crime by focusing enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partnering with locally based prevention and reentry programs.

The conviction is the result of a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to address violent crime in the community. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven effective program in reducing violent crime. Through this program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

Perez is required to appear in court for sentencing, where he will face a maximum of 10 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Related Federal Cases