Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a three-count indictment charging RAEKWON OVERSTREET, 27, of Waterbury, with firearm possession and drug distribution offenses.
The indictment was returned on October 26, 2022. Overstreet appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered a plea of not guilty. He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on October 5, 2022.
The indictment alleges that on October 5, 2022, Overstreet possessed a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun and distribution quantities of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine.
It is further alleged that Overstreet’s criminal history includes a state conviction for conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree, and a federal conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. On February 4, 2020, Overstreet was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 30 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for the firearm offense. He was released from federal prison on June 24, 2022.
The indictment charges Overstreet with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years. Overstreet also faces additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his federal supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. A charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Waterbury Police Department and Connecticut State Police.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth through 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.