Friday, December 21, 2018

Prospect Man Charged with Illegally Purchasing and Possessing 11 Firearms


John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a 15-count indictment charging FRANK MOSS, 31, of Prospect, with offenses related to the illegal purchase and possession of firearms.

The indictment was returned on December 4, 2018.  Moss appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and was released on a $50,000 bond.

As alleged in the indictment, on seven dates between June 14, 2017 and November 1, 2017, Moss, being an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances, made false statements in connection with the purchase of 11 firearms at gun stores in Wolcott, Seymour and Waterbury.

The indictment charges Moss with eight count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm by representing that he was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, controlled substances.  The indictment also charges Moss with seven counts of possession of a firearm by an individual who is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance.

If convicted, Moss faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.

U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Waterbury Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth.

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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