44-year-old Southbury man pleads guilty to gun charges

A Connecticut man pleaded guilty in federal court last week to illegally possessing sawed-off shotguns and silencers, officials said.

Anthony Englehardt, 44, of Southbury, appeared before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford and pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms and silencers, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Just before midnight on March 13, 2023, the Torrington Police Department

received a report that Englehardt had shot a hole in the ceiling of a Torrington residence with a rifle, then left the residence, court records show.

At the time, Englehardt was “subject to a protective order issued by the Waterbury Superior Court that required him to surrender all of his firearms and ammunition,” according to officials.

Around 12:30 a.m. on March 14, 2023, Connecticut State Police stopped Englehardt’s vehicle. He was taken into custody and charged with multiple offenses, officials said.

During a search of Englehardt’s

Southbury home later that day, investigators reportedly found 10 firearms, six silencers, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and various firearms parts and accessories, according to officials.

Three of the firearms were sawed-off shotguns that were reportedly not registered under the National Firearms Act, officials said. The six silencers also were not registered, according to officials.

Englehardt has been detained since his federal arrest on May 25, 2023. A sentencing date is not been scheduled, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.