Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Algelly Diaz, 42, from Hartford, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden handed down the sentence in New Haven for Diaz's involvement in a firearm trafficking conspiracy.
Court documents and statements revealed that in May 2023, the FBI Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted controlled purchases of nine firearms from Diaz’s associate in Waterbury. The investigation showed that these firearms were acquired by straw purchasers from licensed dealers in Kansas and shipped to a stash location maintained by Diaz in Hartford. From there, the firearms, including assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, were distributed throughout Connecticut.
Diaz is a convicted felon who is prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms legally. Between August 2020 and May 2023, one of his co-conspirators purchased at least 73 firearms from a dealer in Deerfield, Kansas.
Diaz and several co-conspirators were arrested on May 19, 2023. Searches conducted on that day across Connecticut, Kansas, and California uncovered approximately 90 rounds of ammunition at Diaz’s residence and three additional firearms seized from a package sent to him.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Waterbury Police Department; Connecticut State Police; and Chino Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha M. Freismuth prosecuted the case through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. This program aims to dismantle drug traffickers and criminal organizations using a collaborative approach involving various law enforcement agencies.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman expressed gratitude towards the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Kansas and Central District of California for their support during this investigation.