New Haven Man Guilty of Possessing Loaded Gun While Released on Bond in another Federal Case

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found ANTRUM COSTON, 42, of New Haven, guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and with committing the offense while released on bond in another case.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill began on October 24 and the jury returned the verdicts this afternoon.

On September 18, 2023, Judge Underhill sentenced Coston to 37 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for pandemic relief fraud, money laundering, and drug offenses.  Judge Underhill ordered Coston, who was released on bond, to surrender for service of his sentence on November 29, 2023.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, on October 25, 2023, New Haven Police arrested Coston after they found him in possession of a loaded Taurus G3 9mm handgun with an extended magazine.

Coston’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including two federal convictions for firearm offenses.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Coston faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and a consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for possessing the firearm while on federal release.

Coston has been detained since his arrest.

This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and Sean P. Mahard.

This case is part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, 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.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.