John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT BOWENS, 34, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 22, 2017, Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle BOWENS was operating on I-95 in Bridgeport. BOWENS attempted to flee and, during a struggle with troopers, produced a 9mm handgun. Troopers knocked the firearm from BOWENS’ hand, but BOWENS broke free, jumped into an SUV that had arrived at the scene, and the vehicle fled. BOWENS was apprehended on May 9.
BOWENS’ criminal history includes state felony convictions for possession with intent to sell, criminal possession of a weapon, and forgery. He also has a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, for which he was sentenced, in May 2009, to 57 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release. He was released from federal custody in June 2015.
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.
BOWENS has been detained since his arrest.
Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 29, 2018, at which time BOWENS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He also faces an additional term of imprisonment if he is found to have violated his supervised release.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
