Bridgeport, Connecticut – In a move to keep the streets safer, a local man with a history of violence has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for violating federal law by possessing a firearm.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, on September 1, 2010, Bridgeport Police responded to a residential burglary call. When they arrived, the complainant described the burglar and the vehicle he drove from the scene. Later that day, officers spotted the defendant driving the car and attempted to stop him. After a chase, which involved multiple police cars, the defendant was stopped, but he refused to exit the vehicle.
As one officer attempted to remove him, a second officer approached from the other side of the car and saw a brown gun handle tucked along the right side of the driver’s seat. After the defendant made a movement toward the gun, the second officer kicked in the passenger window of the vehicle. The defendant was taken out of the vehicle and tasered when he pushed back at officers.
A search of the vehicle revealed a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson SPL Model #64-2 handgun at the side of the driver’s seat. The defendant’s criminal history includes several state felony convictions, including convictions for robbery and burglary in 1984; assault and burglary in 1991; escape in 1992; burglary in 1993, and assault, attempted assault of an officer, attempted escape, attempted riot in an institution, and conspiracy to commit assault in 1994.
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. The defendant 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 defendant, Jose Roque, 47, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 180 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. This matter was investigated by the Bridgeport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced the sentencing, which is a significant step in keeping the community safe. The public is reminded that the U.S. Attorney’s Office takes a tough stance on gun violence and will prosecute those who break federal laws to the fullest extent.
For more information, contact Tom Carson, Public Affairs Officer, at (203) 821-3722 or thomas.carson@usdoj.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Gaskin, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Connecticut 2024 · Arkansas
- Jorge Morales, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Connecticut 2021 · Arkansas
- Harry Whitley, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Crime, Connecticut 2023 · Alabama
- Harry Whitley, Possession of Firearm During Drug Crime, Connecticut 2023 · Alabama
- Elliott Otero, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Connecticut 2023 · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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