Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANGEL L. MELENDEZ, 27, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2013, MELENDEZ sold crack cocaine to an individual working with law enforcement.  At the time, MELENDEZ was on transitional supervision with the Connecticut Department of Correction.  On September 18, 2013, MELENDEZ was arrested at a family member’s home in New Haven where he shared a bedroom with a young child.  A search of a closet in that bedroom revealed a loaded Beretta Model 1935, 7.65 mm, semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number, approximately $2,000 in heroin packaged for distribution, and $700 in cash.  MELENDEZ admitted that the seized items were his.

MELENDEZ’s criminal history includes multiple felony drug convictions.  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.

MELENDEZ has been detained since his arrest.  On December 9, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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

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