NEW HAVEN, CT – Tyriq Martin, 22, of New Haven, is facing federal time after pleading guilty yesterday to possession of ammunition by a felon. The case, a collaboration between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department, exposes a pattern of disregard for the law by a repeat offender.
Federal investigators uncovered damning evidence through a court-authorized search of Martin’s Snapchat account in the spring of 2022. The search revealed multiple photos of Martin brazenly displaying firearms. This digital trail proved crucial in building the case against him. On June 15, 2022, New Haven Police finally brought Martin in on an outstanding state warrant related to firearm and narcotics offenses.
The arrest on Ferry Street and Chatham Street wasn’t just about the state charges. Officers found Martin in possession of a loaded Polymer 80 – a privately made firearm often circumventing traditional background checks – at the time of his arrest. A subsequent search of the vehicle Martin was driving yielded an additional 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition, solidifying the federal charge.
This isn’t Martin’s first brush with the law. Court records show he was previously convicted in state court in July 2021 of conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. He received a five-year sentence, but only served 16 months, followed by three years of probation. Clearly, a relatively short stint behind bars failed to deter him from further criminal activity.
Federal law is clear: a convicted felon is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition that has crossed state lines. The ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, led by Vanessa Roberts Avery, are making an example of Martin. He remains detained and now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The prosecution, handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Rahul Kale, is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. PSN focuses on the most dangerous offenders and integrates law enforcement efforts with community-based prevention and reentry programs. The feds are hoping this case sends a message: illegal gun possession will not be tolerated in New Haven, or anywhere else.
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- Tyriq Martin, Illegal Ammo Possession, New Haven CT, 2023 · Connecticut
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