New Britain man indicted on charges of illegal gun possession

A New Britain man was indicted in federal court on unlawful gun possession charges, according to federal authorities.

Luis Javier Lopez, 23, was indicted by a grand jury and charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon, according to federal authorities. The maximum prison time for each charge is 10 years.

The indictment alleged that Lopez was in possession of a Taurus G3 9-millimeter pistol and a magazine with 9mm ammunition when he was arrested by Hartford police Feb. 26 for state-related charges, according to the release.

It also alleged that Lopez was previously convicted in state court for intent to sell a controlled substance.

In 2018 Lopez was sentenced to five years in jail, suspended after nine months with three years of probation, according to state court records. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition.

He has been in custody since his arrest on related state charges, federal authorities said.

The case is under investigation by the Hartford Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to federal authorities.