Convicted Bridgeport Felon Found With Loaded Ghost Gun: U.S. Attorney

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 28-year-old Bridgeport man pleaded guilty this week to unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, and to violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, according to United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Timothy Staton pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford. Staton had been arrested by Bridgeport police in December 2022, after authorities found him in possession of a loaded semi-automatic 9mm "ghost gun," which is privately manufactured firearm that does not carry a serial number for tracing.

According to court documents and statements, in September 2018, Bridgeport police arrested Staton after he discarded a 9mm handgun during a pursuit. He had previously been convicted in state court of narcotics, firearm, and racketeering offenses, and subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

In June 2019, Staton was sentenced to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in May 2022, and was arrested with the ghost gun about seven months later.

At sentencing for this latest guilty plea, Staton faces a maximum prison term of 15 years for the firearm offense, and an additional penalty for the violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Staton has been detained since his arrest, and his sentencing date has not been determined.

This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis 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.