Long Island Man Sentenced to Prison for Trading Guns for Drugs

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SCOTT LIFF, 47, of East Williston, New York was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling guns in exchange for drugs.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 18, 2012, New Haven Police officers arrested an individual for criminal possession of a weapon. The individual said he purchased the firearm from an individual on the streets of Bridgeport. The gun was registered to LIFF. On December 24, 2013, Norwalk Police officers arrested an individual for a shooting. This individual also possessed a firearm registered to LIFF. Officers then interviewed LIFF, who falsely told them that the firearms had been stolen and that he had not reported their theft.

The investigation revealed that LIFF had a crack cocaine addiction during the time at which he owned the firearms. LIFF subsequently admitted to law enforcement that he had sold as many as 10 guns, including an assault rifle, to drug dealers in Bridgeport and elsewhere in exchange for crack cocaine.

On July 27, 2015, LIFF pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, Norwalk Police Department and New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Richards.