Felon Found with Gun Fitted with Glock Switch in Hartford Pleads Guilty

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DASHAWN DWYER, 31, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 11, 2024, Hartford Police officers attempted to stop Dwyer, who had absconded from state parole and was being sought, as he drove a vehicle on Albany Avenue. Dwyer accelerated, drove recklessly down side streets, and eventually jumped from the moving vehicle and fled on foot. The vehicle came to rest against a fence on Main Street. Dwyer was apprehended a short distance away, and a search of his vehicle revealed a 9mm Glock pistol with a loaded extended magazine, and which was equipped with a machinegun conversion device ("switch"); distribution quantities of cocaine and crack; and $10,257 in cash.

Dwyer's criminal history includes state felony convictions for robbery, assault, and narcotics offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for June 3, at which time Dwyer faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. Dwyer has been detained since his arrest.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reed Durham and Sean P. Mahard.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.