Fairfield Resident William Dong Pleads Guilty to Federal Weapon Charge

Fairfield resident William Dong, 23, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to transporting an assault weapon into Connecticut in violation of federal law.

Dong was arrested by West Haven Police in December 2013 after a concerned person called police and said she saw that a man had a rifle in his car in the vicinity of the University of New Haven.

Dong was a student at the school and was found in possession of two handguns on his person and a Bushmaster XM-15_E2S .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle in his vehicle, according to police. The school and nearby area was locked down as police searched for him.

Dong’s house in Fairfield was searched and law enforcement officials found ammunition and several newspaper clippings about the Aurora, Colorado theatre shooting.

The rifle isn’t illegal under federal law, but it is a violation for someone purchase it outside of Connecticut and travel into the state, said Tom Carson, spokesman for the United States Attorney District of Connecticut Office.

Dong traveled to Pennsylvania to purchase the rifle in September 2013 after seeing an advertisement on www.armslist.com, according to court documents and statements made in court, Carson said.

Dong is scheduled to be sentenced in Hartford on Jan. 29, 2015. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. He has been detained since his arrest.

Dong pleaded guilty in state court to various violations in October. He will serve at least two years in prison before his sentence is eligible to be suspended.