BRIDGEPORT, CT – Rahshim Carter, 34, of Bridgeport, is headed back to federal prison for 54 months after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, marking his fourth federal conviction. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill, adds to a growing rap sheet for the repeat offender.
Carter’s latest trouble began on April 20, 2022, when members of the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force, Connecticut State Police, and Bridgeport Police Department moved to arrest him for violating the terms of his supervised release. Found holed up in an apartment within the Green Homes Housing Complex, Carter wasn’t empty-handed. A loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, along with heroin and crack cocaine, were seized at the time of his arrest.
This isn’t Carter’s first dance with the federal justice system. In 2013, he received 18 months for distributing heroin in Bridgeport’s Trumbull Gardens housing complex. Released in 2013, he was quickly back in trouble, arrested in February 2014 with another loaded handgun and more heroin. That earned him a 62-month sentence in 2015, also for unlawful firearm possession by a felon, along with a violation of his supervised release. Even inside prison, Carter couldn’t stay out of trouble.
While incarcerated in a New Hampshire federal prison in November 2016, Carter was discovered with a homemade weapon – a “shank” – and Suboxone, a controlled substance. This led to another guilty plea and an additional 18 months tacked onto his sentence in 2018. Released again in March 2020, Carter’s freedom proved short-lived. He has been detained since his April 2022 arrest and pleaded guilty to the latest charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on November 17, 2022.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale prosecuted the case. Federal officials say this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative focused on reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement and community partnerships.
The sentencing of Carter comes amidst increased federal scrutiny of violent crime. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco recently convened a meeting with federal law enforcement leaders to discuss strategies for combating gun violence. The Department of Justice is pushing a multi-pronged approach, emphasizing both enforcement against violent offenders and investment in local prevention and reentry programs. More information on these efforts can be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fact-sheet-update-justice-department-s-o….
Related Federal Cases
- Damien Bryant Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute… · Rhode Island
- Kowit Yuktanon, Mortgage Relief Scam, Bridgeport CT, 2023 · Connecticut
- Greenwich Attorney Bates Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse Images Possession · New York
- Fugitive Gets 5 Years for Gun and Drugs · Alabama
- Max Mota Pinho, Child Pornography Possession, New Jersey 2023 · Ohio
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
WeaponsWeaponsWeaponsWeapons