United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

Project Safe Neighborhoods: HARTFORD MAN SENTENCED TO MORE THAN 17 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ILLEGAL GUN POSSESSION

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NELSON L. ESTREMERA, age 45, of Hartford, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 210 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. On December 13, 2006, a jury found ESTREMERA guilty of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to the evidence presented by the Government during the trial, on June 6, 2005, Hartford Police officers were conducting a “directed patrol” in the area of Broad and Lincoln Streets. The high-visibility patrol was designed to prevent any violence at a local memorial service that was being held on Lincoln Street for a young man who had been murdered. At approximately 9:00 p.m., officers saw a car with no headlights on proceeding at a high rate of speed down Broad Street. The car then turned the wrong way onto Lincoln Street, which is a one-way street. However, the vehicle could not proceed too far because the memorial service was being held further up the street. The driver of the vehicle stopped, put the car into reverse, backed into the Broad Street intersection and proceeded down Broad Street. Hartford Police officers pursued the car and stopped it. ESTREMERA was the only individual in the vehicle.

When an officer approached the driver’s-side window, he saw ESTREMERA with his hand in a pocket behind the front passenger seat. After ESTREMERA ignored several orders to remove his hand from the pocket, he was told to get out of the car. After exiting the car, ESTREMERA attempted to open the rear passenger door, but the officer closed it. ESTREMERA was told to walk to the rear of the vehicle, which he did, but he then proceeded to keep walking around the vehicle to the rear passenger door. ESTREMERA opened the door and attempted to access the pocket behind the front passenger seat. Officers pulled ESTREMERA out of the car and handcuffed him.

A search of the vehicle revealed a fully-loaded 9mm Bryco semi-automatic pistol stuffed inside of a diaper, and ESTREMERA was arrested.

ESTREMERA has prior state convictions, including convictions for robbery in the first degree and attempted robbery in the first degree in 1979, and for robbery in the second degree and conspiracy to commit robbery in the second degree in 1986. In addition, in August 1995 ESTREMERA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), more than 500 grams of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin and marijuana. In March 1997, ESTREMERA received a sentence of 126 months of imprisonment. He was released from prison in June 2004, and was on federal supervised release at the time of his June 2005 arrest.

ESTREMERA qualified as an armed career criminal under the Armed Career Criminal Act, a federal law imposing severe penalties for firearm possession by persons who have been convicted of at least three violent felonies or serious drug offenses. As an Armed Career Criminal, ESTREMERA faced a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of life.

Today, Judge Covello sentenced ESTREMERA to 210 months of imprisonment on the firearms conviction, and a concurrent 12-month term of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release stemming from his prior federal conviction.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor noted that federal prisoners are required to serve at least 85 percent of their sentenced term of imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Deputy United States Attorney John H. Durham and Assistant United States Attorney Brian P. Leaming.

U.S. Attorney O’Connor 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.

CONTACT:

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