New Haven Man, 25, Gets 27 Months For Having A Sawed-Off Rifle: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Angel Rodriquez-Mendez, 25, of New Haven was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of an unregistered sawed-off rifle, per the Justice Department.

According to court documents and statements made in court and US Attorney for Connecticut Leonard Boyle, Rodriguez-Mendez was arrested on August 26, 2020, after a court-authorized search of his residence on East Street in New Haven revealed a loaded sawed-off rifle, a loaded handgun, ammunition, approximately 37 wax folds containing a mixture of heroin and cocaine, and approximately 74 grams of cocaine. Rodriguez also possessed approximately 20 grams of cocaine on his person, it was noted in a news release.

On November 10, 2021, Rodriguez-Mendez pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

Rodriguez-Mendez, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on June 28.

Investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration and New Haven Police Department, the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts.