Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ZAN HAIRSTON, JR., 26, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 9, 2023, the Bridgeport Police Department received a report that Hairston had unlawfully entered a residence of a former girlfriend, searched through her belongings and, during a subsequent FaceTime call with her, threatened her by brandishing what appeared to be a firearm.  When officers located and approached Hairston on Union Avenue in Bridgeport, Hairston attempted to flee.  He was apprehended a short distance away, and officers recovered from the ground near Hairston 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.

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.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for June 7, at which time Hairston faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Hairston has been detained since his federal arrest on February 22, 2023.

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 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 work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop 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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