Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TREMAYNE FERGUSON, also known as "Tre," 24, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for a firearm trafficking offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 26, 2023, Stefan Bagley, Jr. was shot and wounded while traveling in his vehicle in Bridgeport. Later that same day, Bagley's vehicle was used in another shooting incident in Bridgeport. An investigation revealed that, between October 2022 and October 2023, Bagley purchased more than 20 handguns from licensed firearm dealers and then trafficked the guns to a network of customers. Bagley typically scratched the serial numbers off of the firearms before providing them to his customers, making the guns more difficult to trace.

During the investigation, law enforcement seized text messages revealing that Ferguson transported and facilitated the transport of two firearms from Bagley to other individuals. Ferguson also asked Bagley to purchase firearms on his behalf.

Ferguson was on state probation at the time of the offense.

Ferguson was arrested on December 18, 2023. On September 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking conspiracy. Ferguson, who is released on a $75,000 bond, is required to report to prison on February 17.

Bagley pleaded guilty to the same charge and awaits sentencing. Most of the firearms trafficked by Bagley are unaccounted for.

U.S. Attorney Avery noted that this case is being prosecuted, in part, under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

This matter is being investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.

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.