New Britain Man Sentenced to Prison for Florida to Connecticut Gun Trafficking Scheme

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIAN JUDGE, 24, of New Britain, 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 trafficking firearms that were stolen in Florida to Connecticut.  Judge Meyer also ordered Judge to pay a $3,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in late February 2021, Judge and Dominic Colon-Brown drove to Florida to obtain firearms and bring them back to Connecticut.  In Florida, Judge and others obtained three handguns, which Judge knew were stolen or otherwise illegally obtained.

On March 8, 2021, law enforcement recovered a .40 caliber handgun and a high capacity magazine that Judge’s associate discarded during a foot chase in New Britain.  A subsequent search of a New Britain apartment where Judge and his associate resided revealed three additional loaded firearms, two extended magazines, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and approximately 60 grams of cocaine.  The serial number on one of the firearms found in the apartment matched the serial number of a firearm that had been stolen in Florida in February 2021.

During the investigation, Judge and his associates were captured in recorded conversations discussing the illegal acquisition and sale of firearms.  Judge and Colon-Brown also posted photos of themselves on social media in possession of firearms.

Judge was arrested on May 27, 2021.  He has been detained since September 23, 2021, when his bond was revoked after he was arrested for domestic violence offenses.  On November 22, 2021, Judge pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen firearms across state lines

Colon-Brown also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, New Britain Police Department, Farmington Police Department, West Hartford Police Department and Pasco County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.

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.