United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

HARTFORD GANG MEMBER TO SERVE AN ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR VIOLATING SUPERVISED RELEASE

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE GONZALEZ, age 29, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday, April 24, by Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven, to 24 months of imprisonment for violating the terms and conditions of his federal supervised release.

In August 1997, Judge Dorsey sentenced GONZALEZ to 135 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for committing the racketeering murder of George Hall. GONZALEZ, who was 16-years-old at the time of the murder, was participating in an initiation phase of the Los Solidos street gang, which involved firing a gun into a crowd of rival gang members. The victim was not a gang member, but merely an innocent bystander who was struck in the head by a bullet and died.

GONZALEZ was released from federal prison and his term of supervised release began on October 21, 2005. In 2006, GONZALEZ violated several conditions of his supervised release, including not reporting to the United States Probation Office as required, not attending mental health treatment and counseling, and failing to make regular restitution payments to the family of the victim. Special conditions of GONZALEZ’ supervised release restricted him from associating with any persons engaged in criminal activity, and from having any contact with any persons associated with the Los Solidos. Law enforcement is in possession of recent pictures of GONZALEZ with Los Solidos gang members, and GONZALEZ has made admissions to the Hartford Police that he has associated with Los Solidos.

On March 14, 2007, GONZALEZ was spotted by Hartford Police detectives assigned to the Hartford Violent Crime Impact Team (VCIT), a joint federal, state and local task force dedicated to combating violent crime and firearms violations, as GONZALEZ exited a market on Franklin Avenue. The detectives were aware of an active federal warrant for GONZALEZ for federal supervised release violations. GONZALEZ entered the passenger side of a vehicle, which sped off with police in pursuit. The car crashed into a tree on Newbury Street, and the two occupants of the vehicle fled on foot. GONZALEZ was later found hiding between two cars on Grandview Terrace. After a brief struggle, GONZALEZ was arrested. GONZALEZ was subsequently charged with interfering with police and possession of marijuana, which was found on his person at the time of the arrest.

“Federal supervised release is meant to ensure that those who are released from prison return to the community to lead a law-abiding life,” U.S. Attorney O’Connor stated. “Those who ignore court orders, especially those who wish to reestablish their gang association under court order not to do so, risk further incarceration.”

This case was prosecuted by Deputy United States Attorney John H. Durham.

CONTACT:

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