Bridgeport Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Gun While on Supervised Release

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GIOVANNI CANDELARIO, 30, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 65 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm while on federal supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2015, Candelario was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.  In July 2018, Candelario was arrested for criminal firearm possession and other offenses and, in addition to a state sentence, he received 12 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release.

On January 9, 2021, while he was still on supervised release, Candelario was arrested by the Connecticut State Police after a car he was driving on Route 8 in the Bridgeport area exceeded 115 miles per hour.  Candelario eventually stopped his car near Exit 26 on Interstate 95, and a search of his person revealed a .357 revolver with an obliterated serial number.

Candelario has been detained since his arrest.  On March 2, 2023, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This matter was investigated by the Connecticut State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.