Constitution State News

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Eskavail Gordon, also known as "Vail," aged 21 from Stratford, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford. Following his imprisonment, Gordon will serve three years of supervised release due to a firearm trafficking offense.

Court documents revealed that on July 26, 2023, Stefan Bagley Jr. was involved in two shooting incidents in Bridgeport on the same day. Investigations showed that between October 2022 and October 2023, Bagley purchased around 20 handguns from licensed dealers and trafficked them to various customers, including Gordon. Bagley removed serial numbers from the firearms before distribution to hinder traceability.

Text messages between Bagley and Gordon indicated discussions about purchasing a Glock handgun for Gordon at a price of $750. On December 18, 2023, upon arresting Gordon, investigators seized a 9mm firearm from him.

Previously convicted of possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle at the state level and on probation during this criminal conduct, it is against federal law for someone with a felony conviction to possess firearms or ammunition crossing state or international borders.

Gordon pleaded guilty on May 20, 2024, to receiving a trafficked firearm and has been detained since his arrest. Meanwhile, Bagley has also pleaded guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing. Most firearms trafficked by Bagley remain unaccounted for.

U.S. Attorney Avery highlighted that this case is prosecuted under new criminal provisions from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act enacted in June 2022 by Congress and signed by the President.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Bridgeport Police Department, and Connecticut State Police are investigating this matter with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham prosecuting the case.

This prosecution forms part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming to reduce gun violence through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and communities they serve under strategies developed since May 2021 by the Justice Department.

For further information regarding Project Safe Neighborhoods visit www.justice.gov/psn.