John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OSHANE ELLIS, 26, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing two loaded firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 5, 2018, at approximately 10:15 pm, Hartford Police officers responded to a report that a man named “Oshane” was waving a gun in the air and threatening to kick a woman’s apartment door down.  Ellis was found in the vicinity sitting in a car.  A search of the car revealed a loaded .357 caliber revolver and a loaded Glock 21, .45 caliber pistol.  The .357 caliber revolver had been reported stolen from a Hartford residence in June 2018.

Ellis’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for burglary and larceny offenses, and was on special parole at the time he possessed the two firearms.

Ellis has been detained in state custody since his arrest on August 5, 2018, and he is currently serving a state sentence for violating his parole.  Ellis’s state sentence is scheduled to expire in August 2022. 

On November 26, 2018, Ellis pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.