Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Charge
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that TYRIQ MARTIN, 22, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to possession of ammunition by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a court-authorized search of Martin’s Snapchat account in the spring of 2022 revealed numerous photos of Martin in possession of firearms. On June 15, 2022, New Haven Police arrested Martin in the area of Ferry Street and Chatham Street on an outstanding state warrant for firearm and narcotics offenses. At the time of his arrest, Martin possessed a loaded Polymer 80 privately made firearm. A subsequent search of the car Martin was seen driving revealed 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
In July 2021, Martin was convicted in state court of conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, for which he was sentenced to five years of incarceration, execution suspended after 16 months, and three years of probation.
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.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Martin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Martin has been detained since his arrest.
This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Rahul Kale through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, 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.