David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEMIAN WELLS, 37, last residing in Waterbury, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 41 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm, failing to update his sex offender registration and violating the conditions of his supervised release from a previous federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 26, 2007, WELLS pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Connecticut to one count of possession of child pornography.  On March 4, 2008, he was sentenced by Judge Arterton to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.  A condition of WELLS’s supervised release required him to register as a sex offender.

After his release from prison in November 2010, WELLS returned to Connecticut and registered as a sex offender.  However, between July and November 2011, WELLS failed to update and verify his address with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required under Connecticut law, and he also was noncompliant with other conditions of his federal supervised release.

The U.S. Probation Office obtained an arrest warrant for WELLS in July 2011.  On November 22, 2011, the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested WELLS, who was living in a tent in a wooded area of Waterbury.  At the time of his arrest, WELLS possessed a .22 caliber sawed-off rifle, a .50 caliber sawed-off black powder pistol, and assorted ammunition.

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 April 10, 2012, WELLS pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

Judge Arterton sentenced WELLS to 33 months of imprisonment for illegally possessing the firearms and for failing to update his sex offender registration, and a consecutive term of imprisonment of eight months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

WELLS has been detained since his arrest on November 12, 2011.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alina Reynolds.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov

 

 

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