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Brian “Whites” Velez, age 33, formerly of Hartford and West Hartford, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm and then distributing drugs while released on bond.
US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said that in November 2018, Velez led police on a short car chase in Hartford’s South End before parking in a Newbury Street driveway and fleeing from the area on foot with a duffle bag.
Once he was apprehended, Avery said that investigators were able to locate the bag - which he had ditched while fleeing - which contained a disassembled Ruger AR 556 semi-automatic rifle, which he was prohibited from possessing due to a previous felony conviction.
Velez was detained following his arrest until he was released on bond in April 2019.
Officials said that in January 2020, investigators received a new tip that Velez was involved in ongoing criminal activities in the area, including selling drugs in the region, leading to a controlled purchase of nearly two dozen bags of fentanyl by an undercover officer.
Velez has been detained since on March 12, 2020, and pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl while on release in a pending federal case the following month.
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