Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STEPHEN GOINS, 36, last residing in Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 26, 2014, law enforcement received information that GOINS, a convicted felon, was operating a vehicle that had a firearm in the glove compartment. A Bridgeport police officer stopped the vehicle after it exited I-95 in Bridgeport. GOINS was arrested after a search of the glove compartment revealed a loaded Ruger LCR Revolver, .38 caliber Special.
GOINS’ criminal history includes felony convictions for robbery, larceny and marijuana trafficking 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.
GOINS has been detained since his arrest. On May 6, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bridgeport Police Department, New Britain Police Department, and Connecticut Statewide Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.