Hartford Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Loaded Handgun

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Luis Cosme, also known as “Lou Rock,” 35, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a loaded handgun.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2017, Hartford Police stopped a vehicle in which Cosme was a passenger and found Cosme in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun.  Cosme was arrested on state charges at that time.

In May 2017, while Cosme was released on bond in his state case, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of heroin from Cosme.  On June 21, 2017, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Cosme with firearm and narcotics offenses.

Cosme’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug distribution, assault and domestic violence 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 September 10, 2018, Cosme pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  He has been detained since March 27, 2019, when his bond was revoked.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.

This case 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.