Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALLEN LUSMAT, 30, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2019, Tyrell Cox-Henderson entered a convenience store in New Haven and placed a Smith & Wesson .357 caliber revolver behind some merchandise on a shelf. Approximately one hour later, Lusmat entered the store and retrieved the firearm from the shelf. Later that day, after New Haven police officers had reviewed the convenience store’s surveillance video, officers stopped a car in which Lusmat was a passenger. As officers approached the vehicle, Lusmat threw a black plastic bag out of the window. A search of bag revealed the firearm that Lusmat retrieved from the store. Lusmat was arrested at that time.
Prior to April 2019, Lusmat was convicted in state court of firearm, assault and burglary offenses. 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.
Lusmat has been detained since his arrest. On November 18, 2020, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Cox-Henderson pleaded guilty to the same charge on September 14, 2020, and awaits sentencing. He also has been detained since April 10, 2019.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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