Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN MELENDEZ, 32, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by six years of supervised release, for cocaine distribution and ammunition possession offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Melendez was arrested on January 7, 2020, after a court-authorized search of his West Haven residence and a car parked at the residence revealed a loaded .22 caliber pistol, a distribution quantity of cocaine, and items used to process and package narcotics for street sale. Melendez’s residence is located in proximity to the Washington Elementary School.

Melendez’s criminal history includes felony convictions for firearms possession offenses in Connecticut and North Carolina. 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.

On January 4, 2021, Melendez pleaded guilty to one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine near a school.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the West Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Doherty.