Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Jason Barber, a 40-year-old resident of Hartford, pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Court documents reveal that on March 2, 2022, law enforcement received information about Barber streaming on Facebook Live while displaying a loaded pistol magazine from inside a vehicle. Officers located the vehicle parked on Barbour Street and subsequently followed Barber into a package store. Upon approaching him, officers found a Kahr Arms P45 handgun with a magazine containing five rounds of .45 caliber ammunition in his coat pocket.
Barber has previous state felony convictions for firearm-related offenses, robbery, drug charges, and escape offenses. Federal law prohibits individuals convicted of felony offenses from possessing firearms or ammunition that have moved through interstate or foreign commerce.
Barber's sentencing date is yet to be scheduled. He faces up to 15 years in prison and is currently released on a $100,000 bond.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins is prosecuting the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce gun violence and violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy within PSN focusing on community trust and legitimacy, support for community-based organizations preventing violence, strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.