New Haven Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Gun Offense

 Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERICK E. GOMEZ, JR., 28, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 3, 2020, Gomez fled from his car after he was involved in a car accident in Woodbridge.  A search of the car revealed a loaded .380 semi-automatic pistol, 15 baggies of crack cocaine and 12 folds of heroin and fentanyl.  Gomez, who was on state probation, was subsequently charged with state offenses stemming from this incident, and another incident in April when he was found in a car with a convicted felon and a firearm.  On July 31, 2020, Gomez, who was released on bonds in both of his state cases, was arrested on related federal charges.  At the time of his arrest he possessed quantities of crack cocaine, heroin/fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Gomez has been detained since his federal arrest.  On June 9, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Gomez has a criminal history that includes convictions for escape, interfering with arrest, possessing firearms, assault, and possession and sale of narcotics.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Police Department and Woodbridge Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan, Peter D. Markle and Tara E. Levens.

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.