Shelton Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Assault Rifle and Ammunition in Waterbury

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MIGUEL RIVERA, also known as "Macho," 32, of Shelton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing an assault rifle and ammunition.

According to the evidence presented during Rivera's trial, in the early morning hours of July 5, 2020, Waterbury Police officers responded to a shots-fired complaint in the area of William Street and Laurel Street in Waterbury. When officers arrived on William Street, Rivera, who was wearing a body armor vest, attempted to flee by climbing over a fence. Rivera was apprehended, and a search of the area from which he had run revealed a Romarm/Cugir, AK Type Model, 7.62 x 39mm caliber, semi-automatic rifle containing a fully-loaded 30-round magazine. Rivera also possessed one round of ammunition in his pocket.

Rivera's criminal history includes convictions for felony firearm, robbery, and burglary offenses. 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.

On October 19, 2023, Rivera was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.

It is alleged that on June 21, 2022, while he was released on bond and awaiting trial in this case, Rivera unlawfully possessed a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition, and two Kevlar bullet proof vests. He has been detained since July 13, 2022, and additional charges are pending in Hartford federal court. U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a charge is only an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Waterbury Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patricia Stolfi Collins through 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.