Bridgeport Felon Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Firearms

Charlie Dwyer

BRIDGEPORT, CT  – John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on January 5, 2020, ANTONIO JOHNSON, 27, of Bridgeport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill to 66 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing firearms.

Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 2, 2017, DeWayne Joyner, also known as “Weezy,” and others stole a large quantity of heroin during an armed robbery of a narcotics stash house on Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport.  Joyner discharged two rounds from a handgun while chasing a victim of the robbery.  The investigation revealed that Johnson had loaned a loaded handgun to Joyner to use during the robbery.

A subsequent court-authorized search of Johnson’s phone revealed multiple images of firearms, several of which Johnson had offered to sell or trade.


Johnson’s criminal history includes convictions for conspiring to commit robbery and witness tampering.  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.


One of the firearms identified in an image on Johnson’s phone was a stolen Glock pistol.  Law enforcement recovered the pistol after it was used in a shooting incident committed by juveniles within the Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport on January 15, 2019.

Johnson was arrested on February 11, 2019.  A search of Johnson’s residence at the time of his arrest revealed two loaded Springfield XD .40 caliber handguns, one of which had an obliterated serial number, and a Polymer80, Inc., PF90C pistol frame with a Glock-brand slide with no serial number.  Analysis of one of the .40 caliber firearms connected it to a non-fatal drive-by shooting in Bridgeport on May 15, 2018.

On July 18, 2019, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Johnson, who had been released on bond in this case, has been detained in state custody since March 9, 2020, after a state court-authorized search of his residence revealed another loaded pistol.  The state charges are pending.

Related News:   Three Arrested in Atlantic City with Drugs and Firearms

Joyner was convicted in federal court of heroin distribution charges and, on September 21, 2020, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.

This matter was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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