Hartford Man Indicted On Federal Gun Charge, Pleads 'Not Guilty:' Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford man indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with unlawfully possessing a gun and ammunition pleaded 'not guilty' in federal court Tuesday.

David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut; Bryan DiGirolamo, acting special agent in charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Hartford Police Chief James C. Rovella, said Tuesday that a federal grand jury in New Haven indicted Kevin Barco, 41, of Hartford, with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.

The indictment was returned Sept. 3.

Barco appeared in New Haven federal court on Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.

He has been detained since his arrest by Hartford Police on related state charges on April 24.

The indictment alleges that, on April 24, Barco possessed a Springfield Armory XD .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number and a high-capacity magazine loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition.

The indictment further alleges that Barco’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for weapon, robbery, and larceny offenses.

It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, officials said.

If convicted of the charge, Barco faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

He also faces additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.

On Sept. 27, 2021, Barco was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 39 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a sawed-off shotgun.

He was released from federal prison in April 2024.

For more information on the case, click on this link.