Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that MARQUIS JEROME POLLARD, 42, of Yemassee, South Carolina, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the Spring of 2021, ATF Task Force officers learned that Pollard used straw purchasers to obtain firearms in South Carolina, and sold the firearms in Connecticut. On April 19, 2021, investigators made a controlled purchase of a 9mm Glock handgun and a drum magazine from Pollard and Quinn Mooring in New Haven in exchange for $1,500. The firearm was one of five 9mm handguns that had been purchased by an individual at a pawn shop in Port Royal, South Carolina, in the month prior to the transaction in Connecticut.
Pollard was arrested on May 3, 2021, in South Carolina. At the time of his arrest, he possessed three handguns.
Pollard’s criminal history includes a state felony conviction for second degree burglary, as well as other 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.
Pollard was charged by indictment in both the District of Connecticut and in the District of South Carolina. The South Carolina case was transferred to Connecticut for further prosecution.
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for January 20, 2023, at which time Pollard faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Pollard has been detained since his arrest.
On January 13, 2022, Mooring, of New Haven, pleaded guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon. He awaits sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), West Haven Police Department and New Haven Police Department. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman. The South Carolina case was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carra J. Henderson in the District of South Carolina.
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.