Man gets 4 years in prison for gun offense, violating terms of release

A Connecticut man is to serve four years in prison for illegally possessing a handgun and violating conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, according to federal authorities.

Gabriel Horace Williamsbey 35, of Hartford, also was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to three years of supervised release, according to federal authorities.

Authorities, citing court documents and statements made in court, said Williams-bey’s criminal history includes a state firearms conviction, state narcotics convictions, and a federal narcotics conviction for which he was sentenced, in June 2016, to eight years in prison and four years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in August 2021, according to federal authorities.

Authorities said Hartford Police tried to stop Williambey’s vehicle in 2022 and he “fled at a high rate speed, was eventually caught by police, and then attempted to flee again on foot.”

A search of his vehicle turned up a loaded semi-automatic handgun, authorities said in a statement, which William-bey is not authorized to have due to a previous felony conviction.

Williams-bey has been in federal custody since July 12, 2022 and he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Oct. 5, 2023, authorities said in the statement.

Nagala sentenced Williams-bey to 37 months in prison for the firearm offense, and a consecutive 11 months of imprisonment for violating conditions of his supervised release, the statement said.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted through Project Safe Neighborhoods.