New Haven Man, 28, Gets 5 Years In Prison On Firearm Conviction

New Haven CT

26 January, 2022

8:36 AM

Description

NEW HAVEN, CT — Michael Weinstein, 28, of New Haven, who pleaded guilty in 2021, was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison for a federal firearm crime, prosecutors said. According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2020, law enforcement observed Facebook video posts of Weinstein firing a handgun at a Connecticut shooting range, and possessing ammunition, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said. In October 2020, he had .40 caliber ammunition, manufactured by Speer in Idaho, at the shooting range, federal prosecutors said. A court-authorized search of Weinstein's cellphone found a photo and multiple videos of Weinstein handling additional firearms, per the U.S. Attorney. Court records show Weinstein's criminal history includes convictions in state court for criminal possession of a gun, conspiracy to commit robbery in the third degree, and robbery in the first degree. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, prosecutors said. Weinstein was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Nov. 18, 2020. On July 23, 2021, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon. Out on bond, Weinstein, has been in jail since Nov. 18, 2021, when he was arrested in New Haven and charged with state drug offenses, court records show. This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor M. Reardon. 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.