Judge Goes Easy On Former Glastonbury Resident In Fed Firearms Case

GLASTONBURY, CT — A former Glastonbury resident has been fined in a federal firearms case, a leading prosecutor said. The relatively light sentence was because of special circumstances that include domestic violence, she added.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Brandi Wiggins, 36, now of Hartford but formerly of Glastonbury, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven for a firearm trafficking offense. Judge Meyer ordered Wiggins to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $3,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Wiggins came to the attention of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after several guns that she purchased in North Carolina were recovered in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The investigation revealed that, between April 2016 and November 2019, Wiggins purchased seven firearms in North Carolina and later sold the weapons at pawn shops and through a website that specializes in gun sales, Avery said.

With the government's consent, Judge Meyer sentenced Wiggins below the recommended sentencing range based on Wiggins' "extraordinary family circumstances," including her prior involvement in an abusive relationship with her former husband, Avery said.

On Aug. 18, 2022, Wiggins pleaded guilty to engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, a felony offense.

This matter was investigated by the ATF and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.