Milford Resident Charged with Illegal Possession of Firearm

January 30, 2010 - Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ALEXANDER DeFELICE, 32, of West Avenue, Milford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 28, 2010, law enforcement personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Milford Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at DeFELICE’s residence at 184 West Avenue in Milford. The search is alleged to have revealed one Remington Model 1100 shotgun, as well as several rounds of .50 caliber ball ammunition, which were larger than ammunition that would match the Remington shotgun. The search also revealed other rounds of live ammunition, more than a dozen cut open .20 gauge shotgun shells, one large soup bowl that appeared to contain powder from the cut open shells, and another large soup bowl that appeared to contain lead shots from the cut open shells.

It is alleged that DeFELICE has been convicted of felony offenses in Connecticut Superior Court, including third degree burglary, weapon in a motor vehicle, and first degree failure to appear (twice). 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.

DeFELICE was arrested yesterday evening. This morning, DeFELICE appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Joan G. Margolis in New Haven. Based on the Government’s motion, DeFELICE is detained pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for Monday, February 1, at 3:30 p.m.

The charge against DeFELICE carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Dannehy stated that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to have his matter presented to a grand jury and, in the event an indictment is returned, he is entitled to a trial at which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Milford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Henry K. Kopel.