Source: United States Department of Justice News
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 TEEJAY JOHNSON, 37, of New Haven, with unlawful firearm possession and fentanyl distribution offenses.
The indictment was returned on September 6, 2022. Johnson, who has been detained since his federal arrest on April 21, 2022, appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in count, on March 9, 2022, members of the New Haven Police Department Shooting Task Force and other law enforcement officers executed a state search warrant at Johnson’s residence. Johnson was found coming out of the bathroom and suspected narcotics had been flushed down the toilet. Investigators collected samples of suspected narcotics from the bathroom, and found in other areas of the residence fentanyl and other suspected narcotics, suspected marijuana, more than $8,600 in cash, and a loaded .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine and 16 rounds of ammunition.
Johnson’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm and assault related 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.
The indictment charges Johnson with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that charges are not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated 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 Anastasia King.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.