United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

Project Safe Neighborhoods: SOUTH CAROLINA MAN WHO HAD ROLE IN GUN TRAFFICKING OPERATION SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RICHARD “Rich” DAVISON, 25, of Seneca, South Carolina, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 90 days of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, the first four months of which DAVISON must serve in home confinement.  On August 15, 2007, DAVISON pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

On April 25, 2007, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an Indictment charging DAVISON and several others with various gun trafficking and possession offenses.  According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, the charges stem from a year-long investigation that followed a March 2006 burglary of a firearms dealer in Taylors, South Carolina.  After the robbery, the stolen guns were brought to DAVISON’s residence and subsequently were transported to Connecticut.

Acting U.S. Attorney Dannehy noted that this prosecution is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.  This program is aimed at reducing gun violence, deterring illegal possession, sale and trafficking of guns, and improving the safety of residents throughout Connecticut.  Participants in the initiative include community members and organizations as well as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The case was investigated by the Hartford Violent Crime Impact Team, the Middletown and Bristol Police Departments, and the Greenville County (SC) Sheriff’s Department.  The VCIT, which is a joint task force dedicated to combating violent crime and firearms violations, is composed of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hartford Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov