By Tiffany Williams –
At the United States District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Tuesday, Tyree Thomas, 36, of Bridgeport who was indicted by a federal grand jury July 19, 2023, arrested September 6 in Florida, and made his first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti.
Thomas pleaded not guilty to crossing state lines with the intent to engage in the unlawful dealing of firearms, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Allegedly between August 2021 and March 2022, Thomas traveled to Georgia for the purpose of acquiring firearms, and transported the firearms back to Connecticut where he sold or transferred them to others. Several of the firearms that Thomas acquired in Georgia have been recovered by law enforcement in Connecticut, one was recovered in connection with a homicide.
Thomas was previously convicted in Connecticut state court of felony drug and failure to appear offenses. It is a violation of federal law for him as a convicted felony to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.