Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug Charges

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MANUEL ASHLEY, also known as “Fresh,” 27, of Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to firearm and drug offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31 and June 1, 2017, Ashley sold approximately 90 bags containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl to another individual.

Hartford Police arrested Ashley on June 6, 2017, after he sold a stolen .380 caliber pistol to another individual.  On that date, a search of his Babcock Street residence revealed 44 bags containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.  

Ashley’s criminal history includes multiple state 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.

Ashley pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on February 27, 2019.

Ashley has been detained since his arrest.

This investigation was conducted by the Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force.  The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.

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.