Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Donald Hill, also known as "Man Man," aged 39 and from Waterbury, has been sentenced to 170 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley handed down the sentence in Bridgeport. Following his prison term, Hill will be subject to four years of supervised release for offenses related to drug distribution and firearm possession.
Court documents and statements revealed that on November 29, 2022, Waterbury Police officers attempted to stop a car driven by Hill on Englewood Avenue due to recent shots-fired incidents in the area. Hill tried to flee but was blocked by police vehicles and forcibly removed from his car. The search uncovered a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number, additional ammunition, over 500 grams of crack cocaine, more than 1,600 baggies containing fentanyl mixed with other substances like cocaine and xylazine, six cellphones, and $2,489 in cash.
The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) analysis linked the firearm found in Hill's car to a shooting incident in New Haven on January 21, 2022, and another shots-fired event in Wolcott on October 29, 2022.
Hill's criminal record includes convictions for weapon possession, narcotics distribution, escape attempts among other offenses. He has been detained since his arrest on November 29, 2022. On May 14, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The investigation was carried out by the Waterbury Police Department alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth prosecuted the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing gun violence and other violent crimes through community cooperation with law enforcement agencies. The Justice Department strengthened this strategy in May 2021 focusing on building trust within communities while setting strategic enforcement priorities.
For further details about Project Safe Neighborhoods visit www.justice.gov/psn.