Bridgeport Man Charged In Gun Trafficking Investigation: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A federal grand jury in New Haven recently returned a 12-count indictment charging six Connecticut men, including a Bridgeport resident, with gun trafficking and other offenses, U.S. Attorney for the District of CT Vanessa Roberts Avery announced Wednesday.

Avery, along with ATF Boston Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Ferguson and Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter, said in a news release the indictment was returned Dec. 12 and the following six men were arrested Monday:

• Stefan Bagley Jr., 22, of Stratford
• Tremayne Ferguson, a.k.a. "Tre," 23, of West Haven
• Jamaine Adkins Jr., a.k.a. "G Banger," 21, of Stratford
• Jeffrey Charleston, a.k.a. "J Dot," 20, of Bridgeport
• Eskavail Gordon, a.k.a. "Vail," 20, of Stratford
• Chase Dralle, a.k.a. "Chevy," 23, of Trumbull

As alleged in the indictment, court documents and statements made in court, Bagley was shot and wounded on July 26 while driving his vehicle in Bridgeport. Later that day, his vehicle was used in another shooting incident in Bridgeport.

An investigation revealed Bagley purchased approximately 20 9mm handguns from licensed firearm dealers between October 2022 and October 2023, then trafficked the guns through a network of customers, including Ferguson, Charleston, Gordon and Dralle, according to Avery.

Bagley typically scratched the serial numbers off the firearms before giving them to his customers, making the guns more difficult to trace, Avery said. 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 prison term of five years, and with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years, Avery said.

The indictment also charges Bagley, Ferguson, Charleston, Gordon and Dralle with one or more firearms trafficking offenses, each of which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years, Avery said.

Adkins is charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which carries a maximum prison term of five years, according to Avery.

Avery noted this case is being prosecuted in part under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and President Joe Biden signed in June 2022. The act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

Avery also stressed 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.