Federal Grand Jury Indicts Waterbury Man for Firearm and Drug Offenses

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a three-count indictment today charging JERMAINE GILBERT, 21, of Waterbury, with firearm possession and drug trafficking offenses.

The indictment alleges that on May 17, 2019, Gilbert possessed a .22 caliber Beretta pistol and a 9mm Taurus pistol, as well as heroin that he intended to distribute.

The indictment charges Gilbert with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of at least five years.

Gilbert has been detained since his arrest by Waterbury Police on May 17, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of investigation and Waterbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Patrick Caruso and Michael Gustafson.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.