Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Drug Offense, Possessing Gun and Distributing Drugs While Awaiting Sentencing

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that PEDRO GOMEZ, also known as “Nito,” 42, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 76 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics, and for possessing a firearm and distributing drugs while awaiting sentencing in his federal case.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2016, law enforcement made multiple controlled purchases of heroin/fentanyl from Gomez.  On April 20, 2017, Gomez pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to possession with intent to distribute heroin.

On May 6, 2022, Gomez, who was awaiting sentencing and released on bond, was arrested after he was found in possession of a stolen handgun and distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana.

Gomez’s criminal history includes felony 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.

Gomez has been detained since his arrest.  On February 14, 2023, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Judge Thompson sentenced Gomez to 30 months of imprisonment for his original narcotics offense, and a consecutive 46 months of imprisonment for the firearm offense.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The FBI Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  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.