Michael Stanley, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Connecticut 2021

A New Haven man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possessing a firearm while on supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Michael Stanley, 33, of New Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in New Haven federal court today, as announced by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Stanley was arrested on September 7, 2021, after New Haven Police conducted a court-authorized search of Stanley’s New Haven hotel room and seized a fanny pack containing his driver’s license, a small quantity of narcotics and a loaded Ruger SR9, 9mm pistol. Stanley’s DNA was recovered from swabs taken from the gun.

Stanley’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including a federal conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In October 2014, Stanley was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for that offense. He was released from prison in May 2019.

Stanley is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford on August 8, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He also faces additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony E. Kaplan.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the federal violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.

Stanley, a resident of New Haven, Connecticut, was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in 2014 and sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. He was released from prison in May 2019 and was on supervised release at the time of his arrest in 2021.

In addition to his conviction, Stanley faces additional penalties for violating the conditions of his supervised release. The maximum term of imprisonment he faces is 10 years.

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