Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KEVEN SANTOS, 24, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 76 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for firearm possession and heroin distribution offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2021, Santos was on state parole. As a result of an investigation into activities, including multiple shootings, by members of the Paybacc Crypt street gang in Waterbury, Santos’ parole officer made the decision to conduct a compliance check. On April 16, 2021, state parole officers, Waterbury Police and Connecticut State Police located Santos and conducted the compliance check after they observed Santos carrying a bag and enter his car, which was parked near a residence on Easton Avenue in Waterbury. Inside the bag, investigators found and seized approximately 137 gross grams of cocaine, approximately 4.8 gross grams of crack, 29 Xanax pills, and a digital scale. A subsequent search of Santos’ residence revealed two loaded firearms, and a search of a garage that Santos had access to revealed approximately one kilogram of cocaine.
Santos has been detained in state custody since April 16, 2021. On May 2, 2022, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Santos will begin serving his 76-month federal sentence today.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Waterbury Police Department and Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of Connecticut State Parole. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth.
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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.