John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MANUEL A. GOMEZ, 30, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 17, 2019, Gomez was involved in a one-car motor vehicle accident in East Hartford. As East Hartford Police responded to the accident, Gomez ran from the scene. He was apprehended after a short foot chase. A subsequent search of Gomez’s vehicle revealed a loaded AM-15.223 caliber rifle.
In 2008, Gomez was convicted in state court of two counts of assault in the first degree, on which he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, execution suspended after seven years.
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.
Gomez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall on September 9, 2020, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Gomez has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the East Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
