6 Connecticut Men Charged With Offenses Stemming From Gun Trafficking Investigation
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a 12-count indictment charging the following six individuals with gun trafficking and other offenses:
- Stefan Bagley Jr., 22, of Stratford
- Tremayne Ferguson, aka “Tre,” 23, of West Haven
- Jamaine Adkins Jr., aka “G Banger,” 21, of Stratford
- Jeffrey Charleston, aka “J Dot,” 20, of Bridgeport
- Eskavail Gordon, aka “Vail,” 20, of Stratford
- Chase Dralle, aka “Chevy,” 23, of Trumbull
The indictment was returned on Dec. 12, and the six defendants were arrested on Dec. 18.
As alleged in the indictment, court documents, and statements made in court, on July 26, Bagley was shot and wounded while traveling in his vehicle in Bridgeport. Later that same day, Bagley’s vehicle was used in another shooting incident in Bridgeport. An investigation revealed that, between October 2022 and October 2023, Bagley purchased approximately 20 9mm handguns from licensed firearm dealers and then trafficked the guns through a network of customers, including Ferguson, Charleston, Gordon and Dralle. Bagley typically scratched the serial numbers off of the firearms before providing them to his customers, making the guns more difficult to trace. To date, only one of the firearms purchased by Bagley is accounted for.
The indictment charges Bagley with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, and with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. The indictment also charges Bagley, Ferguson, Charleston, Gordon and Dralle with one or more firearms trafficking offenses, each of which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. Adkins is charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
U.S. Attorney Avery noted that this case is being prosecuted, in part, under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Bridgeport Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Maigret Donovan and Jessica Casey through 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 works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops 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.
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