East Hartford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Gun in Hartford

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GREGORY CRAWFORD, 37, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 29, 2020, Crawford, while operating an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, drove through downtown Hartford at a high rate of speed, weaved in and out of traffic and then struck a car, which then struck another car.  He then turned and drove in the other direction before his damaged vehicle came to a stop in front of the Old State House.  Hartford Police arrested Crawford and seized from him a loaded Haskell Hi-Point .45 pistol and quantities of crack cocaine and PCP.

Crawford’s criminal history includes state convictions for felony assault, robbery and narcotics offenses.  Crawford was on state special parole at the time of his arrest.

Crawford has been detained in state custody since his arrest on June 29, 2020.  On March 1, 2021, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Judge Meyer ordered Crawford to begin serving his federal sentence today, and that the sentence does not include credit for the approximately 11 months Crawford has served in state custody.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

This prosecution has been brought through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.