Indictment Charges Stamford Man with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Jean Pierre Njock, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging RICARDO GEORGES, 32, of Stamford, with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The indictment was returned on January 19, 2023.  Georges appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia and entered a plea of not guilty.  Georges has been detained since his arrest by Stamford Police on related state charges on May 7, 2022.

As alleged in the indictment, on May 7, 2022, Georges possessed a loaded Para USA, model Expert Commander 1911, .45 ACP caliber, semi-automatic pistol.

It is further alleged that Georges’ criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut and New York for assault on public safety personnel, robbery in the first degree, criminal possession of a firearm, and multiple drug 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.

If convicted of the charge, Georges faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery 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 Safe Streets Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford-Norwalk.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.

This prosecution 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: Fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.