News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2005

WEST HAVEN MAN INDICTED ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGE

June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England and Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury sitting in New Haven today returned an Indictment charging THOMAS HAILEY, age 21, whose last known address was 59 Glade Street, West Haven, Connecticut, with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. The one-count Indictment alleges that HAILEY possessed the firearm after having previously been convicted of assault of a police officer and sale of narcotics.

Last evening, local law enforcement agents and Deputy United States Marshals arrested HAILEY in North Carolina on arrest warrants issued by state courts in Connecticut. HAILEY is being held in custody in North Carolina pending extradition to Connecticut.

If convicted of the charge, HAILEY faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. Attorney O'Connor stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the Government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor commended the members of the Safe Street Task Force, which includes agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and officers and detectives from the Ansonia, Hamden, Milford and New Haven Police Departments, who participated in the investigation which led to HAILEY's arrest and indictment.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor noted that this prosecution is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. The Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is aimed at reducing gun violence, deterring illegal possession of guns, and improving the safety of residents of Connecticut's cities. Participants in the initiative include community members and organizations as well as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. More information on the nationwide Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative can be found at www.psn.gov.