Indictment Charges New Haven Man with Firearm and Drug Offenses

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a three-count indictment charging KEVIN McFARLANE, also known as “Jabari McBurn” and “Dexter Creque,” 41, of New Haven, with firearm possession and crack cocaine distribution offenses.

The indictment was returned on November 19, 2018.  McFarlane appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.  He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on July 11, 2018.

The indictment alleges that, on July 8, 2018, in New Haven, McFarlane possessed crack cocaine that he intended to distribute, and a Glock model 43 9mm semiautomatic handgun.

The indictment further alleges that McFarlane was convicted in Connecticut state court, in October 2004, of sale of a hallucinogen/narcotic, and in Florida state court, in October 2007, of murder in the second degree.  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 indictment charges McFarlane with one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”), an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years.

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

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the New Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.

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.