A New Britain resident, Akeem Manoo, 34, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford. The sentencing includes an additional four years of supervised release for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, committed while Manoo was on supervised release from an earlier federal conviction.
Court records reveal that Manoo was earlier sentenced to 120 months in prison in New Haven for involvement in a gang-related drug conspiracy, with a subsequent five-year supervised release. He was released from prison in November 2022. On May 11, 2023, Manoo was arrested after Hartford police found nearly a half-kilogram of cocaine in his possession during a vehicle stop. Manoo entered a guilty plea on October 30, 2024.
Judge Oliver has sentenced Manoo to 68 months for the drug distribution offense and an additional 16 months for violating the terms of his supervised release.
The case was a collaborative effort by the FBI's Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. Keefe.