Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging JAVON MORSE, 29, of Norwich, with cocaine distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 13, 2017, Morse was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine. He was released from prison in January 2021.
On October 14, 2024, while on federal supervised release, Morse was arrested by Norwich Police and charged with multiple offenses stemming from his alleged possession of nearly a kilogram of cocaine, narcotic pills, items used to process and package narcotics, four handguns, loaded high capacity magazines, and other items.
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.
The indictment, which was returned on December 17, 2024, charges Morse with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. Morse faces additional penalties if he is found in violation of the conditions of his supervised release.
Smith has been detained in federal custody since December 12, 2024. He appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. A charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Norwich Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.
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.