Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KENNETH STURDIVANT, 39, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 17, 2014, Sturdivant was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for his involvement in a gang-related narcotics distribution ring. He was released from prison in December 2020.
On November 16, 2023, while on federal supervised release, Sturdivant discarded a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun and a distribution quantity of packaged fentanyl laced with xylazine near Congress Avenue after evading a New Haven Police traffic stop and abandoning his vehicle. 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.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Sturdivant faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, and an additional penalty for violating the conditions of his supervised release. He is released on a $150,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.