Hartford Man Sentenced to 34 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Multiple Firearms

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WESLEY S. PEARSON, 26, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 34 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 16, 2023, Bloomfield Police arrested Pearson after a domestic violence incident. Later that day, having applied for and received a Risk Protection Order from the Connecticut Superior Court, police searched the Bloomfield home where Pearson had been residing and seized three Glock handguns, two that were affixed with a "switch" that converted them to fully automatic firearms and a third that had an obliterated serial number; an L.A.R. Mfg. Grizzly15, multicaliber, short-barreled rifle; a privately manufactured AR-style pistol ("ghost gun"); 24 firearm magazines, including two high-capacity magazines; approximately 280 rounds of ammunition; and other firearm accessories.

The investigation revealed that Pearson directed music videos, under the name "The Kid Wes," which featured suspected Hartford gang members celebrating gang violence and drug trafficking, among other topics. He also created his own videos, including one titled "Pray for Me" in which he raps "we outside every day on that strip…we got them Glocks with a switch, come out and play us, at least a hundred shots."

Pearson was previously convicted in state court of a felony drug offense. 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.

Pearson has been detained since May 16, 2023. On June 3, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This investigation was conducted by the Bloomfield Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.