Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROMAN PANTOJAS, 28, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 74 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for gun and drug offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 23, 2014, the ATF, DEA and Hartford Police executed a federal search warrant at PANTOJAS’s Hartford residence and seized approximately 700 baggies of heroin, two loaded handguns and approximately $2,400 in cash. The investigation revealed that PANTOJAS, a convicted felon who is not permitted to purchase or possess firearms lawfully, had received firearms from his heroin customers.
One of PANTOJAS’s drug customers, Justin Ashline, admitted to law enforcement that he stole a firearm from his employer and sold it to PANTOJAS in exchange for approximately 20 bags of heroin and between $70 and $100 in cash.
On July 28, 2014, PANTOJAS pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Ashline also pleaded guilty and is currently incarcerated.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police and Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Spector.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
