Hartford Man Who Illegally Possessed Handgun in Manchester Sentenced to Prison

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL JONES, 26, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm.  Judge Underhill also ordered Jones to serve the first six months of his supervised release in home confinement and to perform 100 hours of community service.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2021, Jones pointed a firearm at another individual outside of a hookah lounge on Broad Street in Manchester.  When Manchester Police arrived on the scene, Jones attempted to flee and discarded the firearm in the rear parking lot of the lounge.  Jones was apprehended and the firearm, a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm pistol with an extended magazine and an obliterated serial number, was recovered.

Prior to July 2021, Jones was convicted in state court of criminal possession of a firearm.  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.

Jones has been detained since his arrest.  On June 15, 2022, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Manchester Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick and Patricia Stolfi Collins.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN 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.