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Bridgeport resident Antonio Johnson, 27, was sentenced to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in 2019 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney John Durham said that Johnson, whose criminal history includes convictions for conspiring to commit robbery and witness tampering, provided DeWayne “Weezy” Joyner a handgun that was to be used during an armed robbery.
Durham said that in September 2017, Joyner and others stole heroin during a robbery of a stash house on Maplewood Avenue in Bridgeport, at which time, Joyner discharged the handgun loaned to him by Johnson at least twice at his victims.
The investigation into the armed robbery led to a court-authorized search of Johnson’s phone, which showed multiple images of guns, several of which Johnson had offered to sell or trade.
Durham noted 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.
Additionally, one of the guns identified in a photo on Johnson’s phone was a stolen Glock pistol that was recovered by police after it was used in a shooting incident involving minors in the Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport in January 2019.
Johnson was arrested on Feb. 11, 2019.
A search of Johnson’s residence at the time of his arrest led to the seizure of two loaded Springfield XD .40 caliber handguns, one of which had an obliterated serial number, and a Polymer80, Inc., PF90C pistol frame with a Glock-brand slide with no serial number.
Analysis of one of the guns connected it to a non-fatal drive-by shooting in Bridgeport on May 15, 2018.
Following his arrest, Johnson was released on bond, though he was rearrested and has been detained since March 9 last year when a court-authorized search of his home found he was in possession of another loaded pistol. Charges are still pending in that case.
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