Guilty Plea Entered In Federal Middletown Gun Purchase Probe

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A suspicious gun purchase in Middletown has led to a Manchester resident entering a plea as part of a federal investigation, authorities said.

Marc H. Silverman, acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, along with James Ferguson, special agent in charge at the ATF's Boston Field Division, announced that Stacyann M. Haylett, 32, of Manchester, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, an ATF investigation identified Haylett as the "straw purchaser" of firearms on behalf of an individual who, as a felon, was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. In pleading guilty, Haylett specifically admitted that, on May 15, 2021, she purchased a Glock Model 20, 10mm-caliber pistol from a licensed firearms dealer in Middletown, according to case records.

During the purchase, according to case records, Haylett completed and signed an ATF Form 4473 in which she falsely represented that she was the actual purchaser of the firearm and was not acquiring it for another person. The investigation revealed that Haylett transferred the firearm to the prohibited individual, according to case records.

On Oct. 10, 2023, law enforcement officials recovered the firearm from a fentanyl trafficker in New Haven, according to case records.

Haylett was arrested on July 15, 2024.

Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for July 9, at which time Haylett faces a maximum prison term of of 10 years. Haylett is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.