Manchester Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Drug and Firearms Offenses

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Robert Gentile, 76, of Manchester, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for controlled substances and firearms offenses. Gentile also was ordered to spend the first three months of his supervised release in home confinement.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October and November 2011, Gentile and his associate, Andrew Parente, distributed Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, in a form commonly known as OxyContin, and hydromorphone, in a form commonly known as Dilaudid.

Gentile was arrested on February 10, 2012. Subsequent court-authorized searches of his Manchester residence resulted in the seizure of 200 Percocet tablets packaged for distribution, two .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolvers, a .22 caliber North American Arms revolver, a .22 caliber derringer, a 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun, numerous rounds of ammunition, boxes of 12 gauge shotgun shells, five handgun silencers, other items, and approximately $22,000 in cash.

Gentile is a previously convicted felon and, under federal law, it is illegal for a person with a previous felony conviction to possess any firearm or ammunition that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce. Further, it is illegal under federal law for any person to possess a silencer for a firearm unless that silencer has been properly registered with the National Firearms Registry in Washington, D.C.

Gentile has been detained since his arrest on February 10, 2012. On November 14, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance, five counts of possession with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance, one count of possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon, one count of possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon, and one count of possession of unregistered silencers.

On January 3, 2013, Parente, 77, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance. He awaits sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Office of Inspector General; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John H. Durham.