Southington Man Admits Dealing AR 15 Style Assault Rifles, Marijuana

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRYAN JOYCE, 38, of Southington, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to multiple offenses related to his selling privately made AR-15-style firearms, ammunition, and marijuana.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2022, the Connecticut State Police received information that Joyce was offering to sell assault weapons and other firearms, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs or "ghost guns"), as well as ammunition and firearms accessories. On January 28, 2022, Joyce sold an undercover law officer a privately-made AR-15 style rifle, a privately-made 9mm handgun, and a box of ammunition, in exchange for $2,000. On March 4, 2022, Joyce sold the undercover officer two loaded AR-15 style rifles and approximately 400 grams of marijuana, for $5,800.

On March 21, 2022, Joyce was arrested at a parking lot in Waterbury where he met with the undercover officer who had arranged to purchase five more privately-made AR-15 style rifles and a kilogram of marijuana. A search of Joyce's vehicle revealed that five firearms, marijuana, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

The investigation revealed that Gregory Leary was Joyce's firearm supplier. A subsequent search of Joyce's Wolcott residence revealed six privately-made AR-15 style rifles; two privately-made 9mm semiautomatic handguns; a loaded Remington 12-gauge shotgun; a Glock .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun; a Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun stamped "San Antonio Police Department"; numerous firearm parts and accessories; equipment used to manufacture firearms; and $7,129 in cash.

Joyce is a felon with a criminal history that includes state convictions for drug, larceny, and burglary offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Joyce pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; three counts of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count; one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, marijuana, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Judge Underhill schedule sentencing for January 6.

Joyce, who had been released on bond, has been detained since April 2024 after he was arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident.

Leary pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023, and admitted that he manufactured and sold more than 25 firearms to Joyce. On November 7, 2023, he was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.

This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police Statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF) and Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF/Gangs Unit), assisted by the Statewide Narcotics Task Force (SNTF) Southwest and North Central Offices, and the Bridgeport, Shelton, Orange, Waterbury, and Hartford Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale through 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.