Indictment Charges New Haven Man with Firearm Offense

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging BRANDEN HARPER, also known as “Olie” and “Ollie,” 30, of New Haven, with the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The indictment was returned on August 20, 2024.  Harper appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.  Harper has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on March 27, 2024.

The indictment alleges that between approximately November 2 and November 16, 2023, Harper unlawfully possessed a loaded Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm with an extended magazine.  As alleged in court documents, the firearm, which was affixed with a “Glock switch” that converted it to a fully automatic weapon, was used in a shooting in New Haven on November 12, 2023.

The indictment further alleges that, in 2015, Harper was convicted in state court of manslaughter in the first degree.  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.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  A charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the New Haven Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Guevremont through 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.

The case is also being pursued through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.