A Hartford man trafficked guns from South Carolina. The scheme brought dozens of firearms into the city.
A Hartford man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally trafficking firearms from South Carolina to Connecticut, according to federal authorities.
Alberto Vazquez, 39, also was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to three years of supervised release, on charges of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and to unlawfully transport firearms, unlawful transportation of firearms, and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, according to federal authorities.
The ATF and Hartford Police recovered multiple firearms that had been purchased in South Carolina in 2020 and “the investigation revealed that Vazquez, a felon who cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms, conspired with individuals in South Carolina, including Joshua Bentz and Tywonda Bentz, to purchase firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Columbia, South Carolina, transport them to Connecticut, and sell them to felons and other customers in the Hartford area,” federal authorities said in a statement.
Vazquez and his co-conspirators purchased about 37 firearms in this scheme, according to federal authorities.
Vazquez has been detained since his arrest on March 15, 2021 and he pleaded guilty to the charges on March 25, 2022.
Joshua Bentz and Tywonda Bentz pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing, according to federal authorities. Vazquez’s former girlfriend, Julitza Garcia, also pleaded to making false statements to law enforcement officers during the investigation and, on May 2, 2022, was sentenced to three years of probation, according to the statement.
