Hartford Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Gun Charge

Deirdre Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILSON MORILLO, also known as “Spaz,” 21, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between February 2011 and November 20111, MORILLO was a member of a drug trafficking organization that sold heroin in the Hartford area.  One of MORILLO’s heroin customers held a Connecticut pistol permit. On March 15, 2011, MORILLO and a co-conspirator drove the drug customer to a federally-licensed firearms dealer in East Hartford, picked out two guns for the customer to purchase and provided him with money to complete the purchases.  After purchasing the firearms and leaving the store, MORILLO and his co-conspirator gave the drug customer heroin and $200 in cash in exchange for the two firearms.

The following day, MORILLO, another co-conspirator and the drug customer returned to the store and similarly purchased a third firearm.  The drug customer received heroin and $100 in exchange for the firearm.

Judge Hall has scheduled sentencing for August 23, 2013, at which time MORILLO faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

MORILLO has been detained on state charges since November 2011.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Freimann and Special Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Dye.

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