A man trafficked guns from Georgia and sold them to CT gang members. Some weapons were used.
A Connecticut man who trafficked guns into Bridgeport that were allegedly sold to gang members was sentenced to over three years in federal prison on Wednesday, officials said.
Brannon Winston, 24, of Bridgeport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to a total of 40 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for firearm trafficking and possession offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Sept. 22, 2023, Winston pleaded guilty to one count of crossing state lines with the intent to engage unlicensed dealing of firearms and one count of receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment, officials said.
Court records show that Winston purchased firearms in Georgia, where he sometimes lived, and offered them to customers in Connecticut.
Winston purchased at least 18 firearms in Georgia, officials said, and he had others buy additional firearms on his behalf.
“The investigation, which included gun recoveries after shooting incidents in Bridgeport, revealed that some of the firearms were provided to members of the East End and PT Barnum gangs in Bridgeport,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
On March 16, 2022, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport indicted Winston on firearms trafficking charges. Wilson was arraigned on March 29, 2022, and told that he could be required to serve up to 10 years in prison if he committed a federal felony while on pretrial release. He was then released on a $100,000 bond on that date, according to officials.
On December 21, 2022, Winston was arrested by the Bridgeport Police Department for possession of a .357 caliber handgun with a loaded high capacity magazine, court records show.
According to officials, the handgun was purchased in Jonesboro, Georgia, on November 11, 2022, and ballistics tests showed that it was reportedly used in a shooting in Bridgeport’s East Side the day before Winston’s arrest.
Winston has been detained in federal custody since Jan. 3, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.