Hartford Man Indicted on Gun and Drug Charges

Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging MICHAEL DAVIS, 33, of Hartford, with narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.

The indictment was returned on October 21, 2021.  Davis, who has been detained in state custody since April 2021, appeared today via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector and pleaded not guilty.

According to the indictment, on February 10, 2021, Davis possessed crack cocaine and ecstasy that he intended to distribute, and a Remington Arms, model RP9, 9mm handgun.

It is further alleged that Davis’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm and narcotics 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.

The three-count indictment charges Davis possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) and MDMA (“ecstasy”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory minimum five-year term of imprisonment and up to life imprisonment.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the handgun and $1,020 seized from Davis at the time of his arrest.

U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN 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.