Hartford Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Loaded Gun While on Supervised Release

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAKEEM GRANT, 32, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and while he was on supervised release following a prior federal conviction for the same offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2017, Grant was convicted in state court of possession of a pistol without a permit.  On April 23, 2018, Hartford Police arrested Grant after he was found in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun outside of nightclub that has been a hotspot for shootings and violence on Main Street in Hartford.  He subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and, on March 28, 2019, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, with credit for time served, and three years of supervised release.  Grant was released from federal prison approximately one month later.

On August 28, 2020, Hartford Police arrested Grant after they found him in possession of a loaded Taurus G2S .40 caliber handgun.  He was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.

Grant has been detained since his arrest.   On November 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Judge Meyer sentenced Grant to 21 months of imprisonment for possessing the firearm, and an additional six months of imprisonment for violating his conditions of supervised release.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.

This case is part of 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.