Hartford Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Illegal Gun Sales
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 29, 2013 |
Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Miguel Oritz, 48, of Hartford, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between December 2011 and April 2012, Oritz stored firearms for his 19-year-old nephew, Johnny Rosa, and assisted Rosa in the illegal sale of those firearms. Oritz is a felon who has prior convictions for firearms and narcotics offenses.
In May 2012, a search of Oritz’s Maple Avenue residence revealed an assortment of ammunition.
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 January 17, 2013, Oritz pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
On November 9, 2012, Rosa, also known as “Johnny J,” pleaded guilty to one count of transferring a firearm to a prohibited person. On May 28, 2013, he was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Connecticut State Police, Hartford Police Department, Connecticut Department of Correction, and Connecticut National Guard.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian P. Leaming.