'Fugitive Felon' From Manchester Gets Four Years In Federal Gun Case

MANCHESTER, CT — A Manchester man, described by prosecutors as a "fugitive felon who possessed a loaded gun," has been sentenced to 4 years in federal prison.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Elliott Otero, 34, of Manchester, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 48 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, for "unlawfully possessing a firearm."

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Sept. 25, 2021, Otero was charged in state court with failing to appear in connection with a probation violation as part of his sentence for a 2018 conviction for criminal possession of a pistol/revolver. On Feb. 25, 2022, employees of a private bail enforcement company encountered Otero outside a liquor store in Manchester and attempted to apprehend him, according tp case records.

During a struggle, a loaded Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol fell from his waistband, according to case records.

Manchester Police arrived shortly thereafter and took custody of Otero and the pistol and a subsequent analysis of the firearm revealed that it been stolen from a pickup truck in Wolcott in December 2021, according to case records.

Avery said Otero's criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm, robbery, and larceny offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, Avery said.

Otero has been detained in state custody since his arrest. On Feb. 15, 2023, he pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.