Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Charge
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHAZ DEAR, 23, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez occurred via videoconference.
According court documents and statements made in court, in late 2019, law enforcement received information that Dear, who was on state parole, was selling marijuana. Investigators subsequently made a controlled purchase of marijuana from Dear. On January 30, 2020, Dear was arrested after a court-authorized search of his residence revealed a Glock 27, .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition, as well as small quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.
Dear’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics, weapon and larceny offenses. 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.
Dear is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on June 30, 2021, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Dear has been detained since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
