John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EYISIEL ORTEGA, also known as “EG," “D" and “E," 21, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden to 90 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug distribution and gun possession offenses. Judge Bolden ordered Ortega to serve the first six months of his supervised release in home confinement.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the sentencing occurred via videoconference.
This matter stems from an investigation headed by the ATF and East Hartford Police Department into drug trafficking and related acts of violence by a group of individuals operating out of the Mayberry Village housing complex in East Hartford. The investigation revealed that certain members of the group had obtained firearms in North Dakota and transported them to Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September and November 2017, investigators conducted controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Ortega. Ortega was arrested on November 7, 2017. On that date, a court-authorized search of his residence revealed a loaded.380 caliber Ruger LCP semi-automatic pistol, 20 loose rounds of ammunition, approximately 30 grams of crack cocaine, a quantity of fentanyl and $4,530 in cash. The firearm had been reported stolen in Georgia.
Ortega has been detained since his arrest. On Nov. 25, 2019, Ortega pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack"), and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This investigation is being conducted by the ATF and East Hartford Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Minot (N.D.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
