Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty To Firearm Charge In Federal Drug Case: U.S. Attorney

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 42-year-old Bridgeport man has pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan.

Oronde Jefferson, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford on Monday. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11.

According to court documents and statements, investigators with the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department saw Jefferson on Nov. 20, 2024, outside a known drug location on Maple Street. He was allegedly interacting with people engaged in suspected drug sales.

Jefferson was arrested on state charges and found with 32 individual glassine folds of fentanyl, a ziplock bag containing 71 capsules of crack cocaine and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun equipped with a loaded high-capacity magazine.

Federal prosecutors said Jefferson was arrested on related federal charges on May 9, 2025.

At sentencing, Jefferson faces a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum sentence of life, according to Sullivan.

Jefferson is currently free on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Stratford Police Department, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The task force includes personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport, Norwalk and Trumbull police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary G. Vitale.

The U.S. attorney’s office said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, which it described as a nationwide Department of Justice initiative.