Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMAL BATISTE, 32, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for illegally possessing ammunition.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2019, law enforcement received information that Batiste, who was on state probation, was in possession of a firearm. On September 16, 2019, investigators searched a car that Batiste operated and found a loaded Polymer Inc. L.E. 17-22 caliber handgun with no serial number (a “ghost gun”) and additional .22 caliber rounds on the floor of the vehicle.
Batiste’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm, drug and violation of a protective order 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.
Batiste has been detained since his federal arrest on August 11, 2020. On May 24, 2021, he pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition by a felon.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle noted that this prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, 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.
Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America.
Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect.