Gang Member Nicknamed 'Mafia' Gets 46 Months For Drugs, Guns

HARTFORD, CT —Anthony Esposito, of New Haven, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison Tuesday for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession, according to federal officials.

Esposito, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Michael P. Shea, who added an additional five years of supervised release to the penalty.

In custody since his arrest in June 2019, Esposito pleaded guilty on August 6, 2020 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, Esposito's name surfaced in an FBI investigation into drug and weapons distribution by fellow Los Solidos street gang member Ricardo Reyes, also known as "Rick the Ruler."

Reyes, who was being investigated for distributing fentanyl and heroin in Hartford and weapons trafficking, also was found to be supplying Esposito with fentanyl. Esposito, known as "Mafia," was then selling the drug to his own customers in the New Haven area.

In June 2019, a Hartford grand jury returned an indictment charging Reyes, Esposito and 13 associates with various narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses. Reyes pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Esposito has a lengthy criminal history. Over the last 30 years, he has convictions for firearms, drug and violent crime offenses, including a 1998 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and a 2003 state conviction for first-degree sexual assault.