Bridgeport man sentenced to 51 months

Bridgeport man involved in gun sales sentenced to 51 months in federal prison

HARTFORD -- A Bridgeport man was sentenced at federal court to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a previously convicted felon, according to David B. Fein, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.

Gzareackt "Geraldo" Torres, 31, pleaded guilty to the charge in November. Torres was arrested in July 2009 as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative by the Bridgeport police and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He has been in state custody since August 2009 on unrelated charges.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Torres was arrested as part of an investigation into gun trafficking centered at the P.T. Barnum Public Housing Complex and surrounding neighborhoods on the west side of Bridgeport.

Police made a controlled purchase of a .22 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number and five rounds of ammunition from Torres in the P.T. Barnum complex on Jan. 8, 2009, according to court documents. On March 3 of the same year police purchased a loaded 12 gauge shotgun from Torres.

Torres already had been convicted of felony offenses before the gun transactions. Federal law forbids a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that hs moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Torres was sentenced to state prison for drug charges in January.

Sixteen other individuals were arrested as part of the same investigation and six others face federal charges.

Along with the ATFE and the Bridgeport Police, ICE Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service and the New Haven Police Department contributed to the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Felice Duffy.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is aimed at reducing gun and gang violence, deterring the illegal possession of guns and making Connecticut's cities safer.

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