Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GEORGE HARRIS, 40, last residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 12 months and one day of imprisonment for illegally possessing firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 12, 2020, Harris was transported by ambulance to Hartford Hospital in an intoxicated state. When the attending nurse began changing Harris out of his clothes and into hospital garments, a loaded .38 caliber semiautomatic pistol fell from one of his pants pockets.
Prior to July 2020, Harris had been convicted of a felony offense. 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.
Harris has been detained since his arrest on July 17, 2021. At the time of his arrest, he possessed another loaded semiautomatic pistol.
On October 20, 2021, Harris pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Harris, a citizen of Jamaica, faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda S. Oakes.
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.