Armed Waterbury Gang Member Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Distribution Offense
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JERRELL JAMISON, also known as “Rell” and “Big Bro,” 30, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an ongoing investigation into gangs, drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms in Waterbury. On April 16, 2019, the Waterbury Police Department’s Vice and Intelligence Unit conducted a court-authorized search of Jamison’s residence and seized more than 1,400 individual dose bags of fentanyl/heroin; distribution quantities of cocaine, crack and marijuana; a loaded .40 caliber pistol, and more than 40 rounds of ammunition. Jamison fled his residence when investigators entered, but was apprehended in the rear yard.
Jamison has been identified as a member of the Paybacc Crips street gang. Subsequent analysis of the seized firearm via the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) connected it to shell casings recovered from five prior events, including an assault in December 2016.
After it was determined that Jamison was continuing to engage in criminal activity while released on bond in his state case, his case was adopted for federal prosecution. Jamison has been detained since his federal arrest on March 10, 2022. On September 22, 2022, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, cocaine base (“crack”), and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Waterbury Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Jonathan T. Pierpont, Jr.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Waterbury for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
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.
