Bridgeport Man Sentenced In Illegal Gun Possession Case: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 30-year-old Bridgeport man was sentenced last week to 18 months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm, according to United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Jerond Rogers, who has criminal convictions in his past, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport.

In January, Rogers pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; he has been detained since his arrest by federal agents in March 2023.

According to court documents and statements, in October 2022, law enforcement received information that Rogers, who was known to be associated with a violent Bridgeport gang, was in possession of a firearm.

During the execution of a court-authorized search of his vehicle that month, Rogers ran from investigators, removed a black handgun from his waistband, and ran into oncoming traffic on Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport. He was struck by a car, and was taken to an area hospital. Investigators retrieved the gun, which was a loaded Glock 26 semi-automatic pistol.

Rogers’ criminal history includes state felony convictions for sale of narcotics, criminal possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle. As such, under federal law, a person previously convicted of a felony offense is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Weingarten and Karen L. Peck

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.