Hartford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NOEL PEREZ, 23, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 29, 2018, Hartford Police stopped a vehicle Perez was driving on Wadsworth Street.  A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Sig Sauer P2022 .40 caliber handgun, which had a laser sight attached to its barrel.

Perez’s criminal history includes felony convictions in state court for assault, burglary and larceny offenses. 

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 December 4, 2018, Perez pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  On November 20, 2019, while he was released on bond, Perez was arrested by Hartford Police.  According the police report, when Perez was apprehended, a search of his person revealed wax paper sleeves containing a white powder substance that field-tested positive for heroin, and $892 in cash.  In addition, a gun was discovered in the driveway where he and two associates stood before they ran from police.  Perez’s bond was revoked on December 3, 2019.

This investigation was conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.

This prosecution is part of 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.