Man Charged With Stealing Guns From Newington Gun Store
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging TROY HARRIS, 28, with firearm offenses stemming from a Newington gun store theft in September 2021.
As alleged in the indictment, on September 7, 2021, Harris stole two Kimber Micro 9 9mm semiautomatic pistols, two Kimber Pro Carry .45 ACP semiautomatic pistols, and one Kimber Super Match .45 ACP semiautomatic pistol from Hoffman’s “Guns for the Good Guys,” a federal firearms licensee located in Newington.
It is alleged that Harris’s criminal history includes convictions in Connecticut state court for escape in the first degree, burglary in the third degree, and robbery in the first degree. 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.
The indictment, which was returned on March 15, charges Harris with theft of firearms from a licensee, and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon. Harris appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Harris has been detained since his arrest on September 7, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Newington and Bristol Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, 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.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of New Britain for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
