Hartford Man Sentenced For Role In Gun Trafficking Ring
Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 6:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NEW HAVEN, CT.- On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Algelly Diaz, 42, of Hartford, Connecticut, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Victor A. Bolden to 48 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a firearms trafficking conspiracy.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman and documents filed with the District Court, during an ongoing investigation into illegal firearms trafficking in May 2023, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted three controlled purchases of nine firearms from Diaz’s associate in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Diaz Used Straw Purchasers
During a joint investigation, investigators uncovered that Diaz’s associate was acquiring numerous firearms, most of which were purchased by straw purchasers from licensed gun dealers in Kansas and then shipped through the U.S. Postal Service to a stash location that Diaz controlled in Hartford, Connecticut.
   Diaz’s associate then obtained the firearms, which included assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, from Diaz and then sold them throughout Connecticut. Diaz is a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from purchasing firearms.
Investigators determined that between August 2020 through May 2023, one of Diaz’s co-conspirators purchased at least 73 firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Deerfield, Kansas.
   Diaz and multiple co-conspirators were taken into custody on May 19, 2023, during the execution of court-authorized search warrants at locations in Connecticut, Kansas, and California. A search of Diaz’s residence uncovered around 90 rounds of ammunition; in addition, a court-authorized search of a package that was intercepted and addressed to Diaz was intercepted and uncovered an additional three firearms.
