Zan Hairston, Jr., Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Connecticut 2023

A Bridgeport man is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Zan Hairston, Jr., 26, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford on February 22, 2023.

Pursuant to the charge, Hairston was found to have possessed a firearm that had moved in interstate or foreign commerce, a violation of federal law.

The case against Hairston began on January 9, 2023, when the Bridgeport Police Department received a report that Hairston had unlawfully entered a residence of a former girlfriend, searched through her belongings, and threatened her by brandishing what appeared to be a firearm during a subsequent FaceTime call.

When officers located and approached Hairston on Union Avenue in Bridgeport, he attempted to flee and was apprehended a short distance away. Officers recovered a Taurus TX .22 firearm equipped with a mounted laser and loaded with an extended magazine containing 20 rounds of ammunition, a Glock 26 Gen4 firearm loaded with one round, and a Glock magazine with 13 rounds of ammunition from the ground near Hairston.

Hairston’s criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut for conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree with a firearm, burglary in the second degree, criminal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

Hairston has been detained since his federal arrest on February 22, 2023. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for June 7, at which time Hairston will face a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Lauren Clark through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the federal government’s violent crime reduction efforts.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, 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.

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