Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 71 Months in Prison for Stealing and Selling Firearms

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WALTER GONZALEZ, 45, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 71 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing and selling firearms, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 17, 1999, GONZALEZ was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 120 months of imprisonment, consecutive to a state sentence that he was already serving, and three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. He was released from federal prison on March 14, 2014, and began serving his term of supervised release.

On November 25, 2015, Bridgeport Police officers discovered a discarded safe with a door that had been pried off. Information in the safe indicated that it belonged to a resident of Shelton. Investigators visited the home later that day and discovered that it had been burglarized. The homeowner subsequently reported that the safe had contained seven firearms.

On December 14, 2015, GONZALEZ’s stepson brought one of the stolen firearms to his elementary school and reported that he had found it in a closet in his home. Investigators then recovered a second stolen firearm from the same closet. GONZALEZ was arrested when he arrived at the residence later that day. He possessed narcotics on his person at time of his arrest.

In an interview with Bridgeport Police, GONZALEZ admitted that the two firearms had been obtained from a burglary in Shelton. He also admitted that he had sold the other five stolen firearms in exchange for drugs.

GONZALEZ has been detained in federal custody since December 21, 2015. On November 14, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm, and to violating his supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bridgeport Police Department and Shelton Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.