New Haven Man Pleads Guilty To Having Gun While On Federal Parole

NEW HAVEN, CT —Kenneth Sturdivant, 39, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Avery said that according to court documents and statements made in court, on Dec. 17, 2014, Sturdivant was sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for his involvement in a gang-related narcotics distribution ring.

A New Haven resident, he was released from prison in December 2020.

On Nov. 16, 2023, while on federal supervised release, Sturdivant "discarded a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun and a distribution quantity of packaged fentanyl laced with xylazine near Congress Avenue after evading a New Haven Police traffic stop and abandoning his vehicle," Avery's news release reads.

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, she noted.

At sentencing, which is not yet scheduled, Sturdivant, out on $150,000 bond, faces a maximum of 15 years, and an additional penalty for violating the conditions of his supervised release, per the prosecutor.

This investigation has been conducted by the ATF and the New Haven Police Department.