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Press Release

Manchester Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Crack

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANTHONY McKENZIE, 56, of Manchester, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 54 months of imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department that targeted a drug trafficking organization operating in Hartford’s North End that was distributing crack and powder cocaine.  The investigation revealed that David Gil-Grande, of Manchester, received shipments of cocaine, secreted in sealed coffee cans, from Puerto Rico.  He then supplied the cocaine to Anthony Shelton, also known as “Pretty,” Gerard Brown, also known as “Goldie,” and others, who converted much of the cocaine into crack and distributed both forms of the drug in the area of Barbour Street in Hartford. 

Shelton and Brown are McKENZIE’s sons.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that Shelton and Brown supplied distribution quantities of crack cocaine to McKENZIE, who then sold the drug to his own customers in the Manchester area.

Twenty individuals were charged and convicted as a result of the investigation.

McKENZIE was arrested on February 2, 2016.  On December 22, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).

McKENZIE’s criminal history spans approximately 40 years and includes multiple convictions and periods of incarceration.

Gil-Grande, Shelton and Brown have pleaded guilty to related charges.  On January 31, 2017, Gil-Grande was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment.  Shelton and Brown await sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.  The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration have provided valuable assistance to the investigation. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

Updated October 5, 2017

Topic
Drug Trafficking