Waterbury Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Offenses

TAVAUGHN WRIGHT, also known as “Teddy,” 29, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 63 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for narcotics and firearm offenses related to his role in a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address escalating violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence.  The investigation revealed that Wright, a member of the 960 gang, was distributing narcotics and using a location on Buckingham Street to store and process narcotics.

On February 13, 2020, investigators executed search warrants at Wright’s residence on Bucks Hill Road and the Buckingham Street location.  The search of Wright’s residence revealed nearly 500 dose bags of heroin/fentanyl and other items, and the search of the Buckingham Street location revealed approximately 60 dose bags of heroin/fentanyl, a loaded 9mm handgun, and other items.  Analysis of the firearm revealed that it was stolen in Maine in 2016.

Wright’s criminal history includes felony convictions, and 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.

Wright has been detained since February 13, 2020.  On June 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, ATF and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is 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.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.