Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun Offenses

Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER DANCY, 35, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to drug and firearm offenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 18, 2022, Dancy was arrested for violating his state parole.  A search of an apartment where he was staying revealed a loaded Glock model 45, 9mm pistol, approximately 20 grams of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, and items used to process and package narcotics for distribution.

On May 3, 2023, Hartford Police officers observed Dancy engaging in suspected drug activity in the area of Albany Avenue and Edgewood Street and seized a car that Dancy had occupied.  On May 5, 2023, a search of the car revealed a loaded Glock model 26, 9mm pistol.  Subsequent DNA testing of the pistol connected it to Dancy.

Dancy’s criminal history includes state drug and firearm convictions.  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.

Dancy pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

Dancy has been detained since June 5, 2023.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.

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.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.