Bridgeport Man Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Illegally Possessing Loaded Handgun In Norwalk

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on Friday, January 30, DAHONTA HILLIARD, 24, of Bridgeport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 25, 2013, Norwalk police officers were called to disband a fight between 15 to 20 people in the King Kennedy housing complex.  As officers approached the housing complex, individuals, including HILLIARD, began to scatter.  From his previous encounters with Norwalk Police, HILLIARD was known as a Crips gang associate who was not a resident of the housing complex.  Officers approached HILLIARD and asked him if he had any weapons.  After HILLIARD responded that he had a knife, officers searched him and found a loaded Bersa .380 semi-automatic handgun.

Prior to August 2013, HILLIARD was convicted of a felony offense.  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.

HILLIARD has been detained since his federal arrest on March 3, 2014.  On August 14, 2014, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

This matter was investigated by the Norwalk Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards.

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