Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that a federal jury in New Haven today found DARNELL MACON, Sr, 45, and KHARISMA BROOKS, 23, formerly of Danbury, guilty of firearm offenses. The trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer began on October 26.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, on May 27, 2021, Macon and Brooks visited a federally-licensed firearms dealer in Kent, Connecticut, where Macon possessed, and then Brooks purchased, a Smith & Wesson, Model SD40VE, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. In 2002, Macon was convicted in New York of two counts of assault in the first degree, and in 2003, he was convicted in New York of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
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.
On June 7, 2021, ATF special agents investigating the firearm purchase on May 27, and another firearm purchased by Brooks in Stratford on May 25, visited Macon’s and Brooks’ Danbury residence and recovered the two firearms, which were located in Macon’s bedroom closet.
The jury found Macon guilty of one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and Brooks guilty of one count of aiding and abetting the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The jury found Brooks not guilty of one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Macon and Brooks each faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Macon and Brooks are released on bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by ATF, with the assistance of the Danbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Reed Durham and David J. Sheldon.
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.