Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Christopher Poller, 30, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2022, Waterbury Police traveled to Poller’s residence to issue an arrest warrant for Poller and to conduct a court-authorized search of the residence. Upon arrival, investigators observed Poller conduct suspected drug transactions from his vehicle, and then enter his residence. Poller was arrested, and a search of his vehicle revealed two loaded handguns, more than 500 dose bags of fentanyl and approximately 39 grams of crack cocaine.

Poller’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics distribution, larceny, assault, escape and weapons possession offenses. 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.

Poller has been detained since his arrest. On Aug. 14, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waterbury Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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