Enfield Man Pleads Guilty to Buying Guns For Convicted Criminal

NEW HAVEN, CT — An Enfield resident pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to offenses related to his illegal sale of numerous firearms to a person whose criminal history prohibits him from purchasing or possessing firearms.

Norman Klosek, also known as Rich Klosek, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to one count of dealing firearms without a license, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and one count of making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, according to John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the spring of 2019, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force initiated court-authorized wiretaps on a member of the Los Solidos street gang who was distributing fentanyl and cocaine in and around Hartford. Intercepted communications revealed that Klosek, who had a valid state pistol permit, was acting as a “straw purchaser” of firearms for a target of the investigation who, based on his criminal history, cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms, Durham said.

On April 22, 2019, the target picked up Klosek in Enfield and drove to the Newington Gun Exchange, a licensed gun dealer in Newington, where Klosek purchased two handguns. During the purchase, Klosek completed and signed an ATF Form 4473 document in which he falsely represented he was the actual purchaser of the firearms and was not acquiring the firearms for another person. He also represented he was not an unlawful user, or addicted to, any controlled substances, Durham said.

Klosek provided the guns to the target after the purchase. Later that day, investigators conducted a traffic stop of the target’s vehicle and recovered the two firearms. An investigation revealed Klosek, who had an escalating drug addiction, first purchased and registered a firearm with the state of Connecticut on Nov. 6, 2018. Since that date, he purchased 45 handguns in addition to the two guns he had purchased on April 22, 2019. Twenty-five of the guns had been purchased between March 8 and April 22, 2019, Durham said.

On April 24, 2019, a search of Klosek’s residence revealed empty gun boxes and receipts for firearm purchases, but no firearms. Klosek was arrested the following day in Hartford, and was in possession of fentanyl/heroin at the time of his arrest. He admitted that he was addicted to drugs and that he had sold or “loaned” the guns he had purchased, Durham said.

To date, about 10 of the 47 handguns purchased by Klosek have been recovered by law enforcement. One gun was recovered after it was used in a shooting in Hartford on Aug. 22, 2019, according to Durham.

Klosek is free on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing by Judge Arterton, which is scheduled for May 26.