John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of
Connecticut, announced that RUFUS HOWELL, 40, last residing in Manchester,
pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in
Bridgeport to gun possession and heroin distribution offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court,
on June 21, 2017, HOWELL was arrested after a search of the car he was
operating in Hartford’s North End contained a loaded Hi-Point 9mm pistol,
approximately 14 grams of combined heroin and fentanyl, approximately 40 grams
of cocaine, and a quantity of marijuana.
HOWELL’s criminal history includes multiple state felony
convictions, and a federal felony narcotics conviction in 2005. 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.
HOWELL pleaded guilty to one count possession of a firearm
by a previously convicted felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment
of 10 years, and one count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute,
an offenses that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for
November 16, 2018.
HOWELL has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford
Police Department. The Task Force
includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department,
Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant
U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a
program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities
they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
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