Gun trafficker sentenced to eight years in federal prison

South Carolina man brought at least 17 firearms to Connecticut

A South Carolina man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on Monday in connection with an illegal gun trafficking operation in Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Marquis Jerome Pollard, 42, of Yemassee, South Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Oct. 28, 2022.

In spring 2021, ATF Task Force officers discovered that Pollard was using individuals in South Carolina to buy firearms that he then sold in Connecticut, according to court records. Undercover investigators reportedly bought a 9mm Glock handgun and a drum magazine from Pollard and Quinn Mooring in New Haven for $1,500 on April 19, 2021, court records said. The handgun was one of five that were purchased by a person at a pawn shop in Port Royal, South Carolina, in March 2021.

Investigators had the buyer under surveillance as he picked up two additional handguns from the Port Royal firearm dealer on May 3, 2021, court records said. He then traveled to a restaurant in Beaufort, South Carolina, where he gave them to Pollard in the parking lot.

As law enforcement officials attempted to arrest Pollard, he fled in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, driving over curbs and on sidewalks, officials said. He was eventually taken into custody in a residential neighborhood after abandoning his car and attempting to flee on foot. Investigators said they recovered three firearms from his vehicle: The two handguns he picked up in the restaurant parking lot and a loaded .40-caliber pistol with a 30-round magazine, according to court records.

Pollard’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials learned that Pollard had paid two people to acquire at least 17 firearms for him, court records said. In addition to the two handguns found in Pollard’s vehicle and the 9mm handgun investigators purchased in New Haven in April 2021, five additional firearms have been recovered: One from a felon in New Haven in June 2021, one found at the scene of a shooting in Hamden, one after it was used in a shooting in New Haven, one from a juvenile in South Carolina after it was used in multiple crimes and one from a person who fled from law enforcement in Hamden earlier this month who also allegedly was in possession of crack cocaine.

Nine additional firearms have not been recovered, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Pollard was charged in both Connecticut and South Carolina. The South Carolina case was transferred to Connecticut for prosecution, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. He has been detained since his arrest.

Mooring pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on Jan. 13, 2022. He is awaiting sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The individuals who purchased firearms for Pollard in South Carolina were charged and convicted in South Carolina.