Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES BROWN, 34, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 28, 2012, New Haven Police responded to a 911 call of a domestic dispute involving a weapon.  Officers arrived at the identified residence and BROWN, who was in the bedroom, was taken into custody.  A subsequent search of the bedroom revealed a loaded Smith and Wesson revolver hidden under the mattress of the bed.

Forensic analysis of the firearm revealed DNA that matched BROWN’s DNA.

BROWN’s criminal history includes convictions for unlawful restraint in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, robbery in the third degree, and sale of a controlled substance.  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.

The charge of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon ordinarily carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  However, BROWN is subject to the Armed Career Criminal Act, a federal law imposing severe penalties for firearm or ammunition possession by persons who have been convicted of at least three violent felonies or serious drug offenses.  A defendant who qualifies as an Armed Career Criminal faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of life.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony E. Kaplan.

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