A federal grand jury in New Haven has indicted Kevin Barco, 41, of Hartford, on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division; and Hartford Police Chief James C. Rovella.
The indictment was returned on September 3, 2025. Barco appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven and pleaded not guilty to the charge. He has been detained since his arrest by Hartford Police on related state charges on April 24, 2025.
According to the indictment, Barco allegedly possessed a Springfield Armory XD .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number and a high-capacity magazine loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition on April 24, 2025.
The indictment also states that Barco has previous state felony convictions for weapon offenses, robbery, and larceny. Federal law prohibits individuals convicted of felony offenses from possessing firearms or ammunition that have traveled in interstate or foreign commerce.
If convicted, Barco could face up to 15 years in prison and additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
Barco was previously sentenced on September 27, 2021, in Bridgeport federal court to serve 39 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a sawed-off shotgun. He was released from federal custody in April 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan said: "An indictment is not evidence of guilt. A charge is only an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Hartford Police Department are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative combining resources from Department of Justice programs including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)—which aims to combat illegal immigration as well as violent crime through targeted law enforcement efforts.
