Christopher Purvis, 29, was sentenced on Mar. 11 to 60 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The sentence will be served consecutively to other federal and state sentences that Purvis is currently serving.
The case centers on an incident from May 7, 2022, when New Britain Police attempted to stop a car with Purvis as an occupant. As officers approached, Purvis accelerated at high speed before crashing the vehicle. He and others fled the scene on foot. A search of the car uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun reported stolen. Analysis later confirmed Purvis' DNA on both the firearm and drug packaging.
Purvis pleaded guilty to the charge on August 8, 2025. At present, he is already serving a 72-month federal sentence for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in northern Vermont and a concurrent six-year Connecticut state sentence for firearm and threatening offenses.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force along with the Bristol Police Department. The task force includes personnel from multiple local police departments as well as the DEA Hartford Resident Office and Connecticut State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Christopher Lembo prosecuted the case.
This sentencing adds another term to Purvis’ existing sentences related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
