New Haven Man Gets 7-Year Prison Bid For Gun, Drug Conviction: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —A 27-year-old New Haven man who in 2020 "absconded" from a parole halfway house, and was later arrested with a stolen gun and drugs was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, according to US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Willie Jackson of New Haven received the sentence in U.S. District Court Thursday.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, Jackson was arrested on March 27, 2020, after he had absconded from a halfway house while on state parole. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a loaded .40 caliber Ruger handgun with an obliterated serial number, 111 wax folds of fentanyl, and quantities of oxycodone pills and marijuana, Avery said. The handgun was reported stolen in Bridgeport in 2019, per prosecutors.

Jackson’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for assault, robbery, and firearm offenses, state court records show. 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.

Held since his arrest, in April, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the New Haven Police Department.