Manchester Man Enters Guilty Plea to Federal Drug, Firearms Charges

This information was provided by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut:

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that , pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to multiple controlled substances and firearms offenses.

Gentile, according to the FBI, is also suspected of having information about the famous 1990 heist of 13 priceless paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October and November 2011, Gentile conspired to distribute and distributed Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, in a form commonly known as OxyContin, and hydromorphone, in a form commonly known as Dilaudid.         Gentile was arrested on February 10, 2012. 

Subsequent court-authorized searches of Gentile’s Manchester residence resulted in the seizure of 200 Percocet tablets packaged for distribution, two .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolvers, a .22 caliber North American Arms revolver, a .22 caliber derringer, a 12 gauge pistol-grip shotgun, numerous rounds of ammunition, boxes of 12 gauge shotgun shells, five handgun silencers, other items and approximately $22,000 in cash.

Gentile is a previously convicted felon and, under federal law, it is illegal for a person with a previous felony conviction to possess any firearm or ammunition that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce. Further, it is illegal under federal law for any person to possess a silencer for a firearm unless that silencer has been properly registered with the National Firearms Registry in Washington, D.C.

Gentile pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance, five counts of possession with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance, one count of possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon, one count of possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon, and one count of possession of unregistered silencers.

Judge Chatigny has scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2013, at which time Gentile faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each of the drug charges and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each of the firearms charges. Gentile also has agreed to forfeit the seized firearms, ammunition and cash. Gentile has been detained since his arrest on Feb. 10, 2012.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John H. Durham.