Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced that Melquawn Jamison, a 26-year-old resident of Waterbury, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the sentence in Bridgeport, which includes 60 months of imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release for a firearm possession offense.
Court documents and statements reveal that Jamison was arrested on August 23, 2023. The arrest followed controlled purchases of narcotics from him or through a third party at his direction at his residence by Waterbury Police. A court-authorized search on the day of his arrest uncovered cocaine and fentanyl intended for distribution, along with a loaded Ruger SR .45 caliber handgun and a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun equipped with an extended magazine and a Glock switch auto sear device converting it into an automatic weapon.
Jamison's criminal record includes state felony convictions for offenses such as sale of narcotics, escape in the first degree, burglary in the third degree, and larceny in the first degree. Federal law prohibits individuals previously convicted of felony offenses from possessing firearms or ammunition that have moved across state or international borders.
Since his arrest, Jamison has remained detained. He pleaded guilty on September 26, 2024, to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) alongside the Waterbury Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program aimed at reducing gun violence and other violent crimes through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. Launched in May 2021 as part of a violent crime reduction strategy, PSN focuses on fostering community trust and legitimacy while supporting organizations that prevent violence before it occurs.
For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit www.justice.gov/psn.
