Shelton Man Accused Of Illegally Possessing Gun, Ammunition: Feds

SHELTON, CT — A 30-year-old Shelton man has been charged with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition while released on bond and awaiting trial in another federal case, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced in a news release.

Avery said Miguel Rivera, also known as "Macho," appeared in New Haven court Friday, where he pleaded not guilty. He has been detained since July 13, and the indictment was returned Sept. 27.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Rivera was in possession of a Romarm/Cugir, AK Type Model, 7.62 x 39mm caliber semi-automatic rifle in July 2020. At the time, the firearm contained a fully-loaded large capacity 30-round magazine, Avery said.

According to Avery, Rivera's criminal history includes convictions for felony firearm, robbery and burglary incidents, and 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.

Rivera was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in September 2020 and arrested in November 2020, Avery said. He was later released on a $100,000 bond.

The new indictment charges Rivera with unlawfully possessing a Krieghoff K80 12-gauge shotgun, approximately 50 rounds of shotgun ammunition and approximately 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition in June of this year while he was awaiting trial in his initial federal case, Avery said.

Rivera was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and committing the offense while on pretrial release. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison term of 20 years, Avery said.