Man Pleads In Drug, Gun Case With Manchester Connection

MANCHESTER, CT — A man arrested in Manchester on drug and gun charges has entered a plea in the case, federal authorities said.

Leonard C. Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Hilary Anthony Browne, 31, of New Britain, pleaded guilty Monday to firearm possession and drug distribution offenses.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in late 2019, the Manchester Police Department, the East Central Narcotics Task Force and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force conducted an investigation into cocaine selling operations involving Browne. Browne was arrested in Manchester on Dec. 20, 2019, Boyle said. At the time of his arrest, Browne possessed a small quantity of cocaine, case records indicate.

After Browne informed an officer that he possessed a firearm, ballistic vest and a "quantity" of cocaine at his New Britain apartment, a consent search of the apartment revealed a loaded semi-automatic Pieper, Model 1908/Basculant, 6.35mm pistol; a bullet proof vest; and a pill bottle containing 4.7 grams of cocaine, according to case records.

Browne’s criminal history includes state convictions for first-degree robbery with the threat of a firearm, burglary and failure to appear, Boyle said.

Browne pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years; felon in possession of body armor, which carries a maximum three-year prison term; and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.