Feds say a CT man was a ‘fugitive felon.’ Bail bondsmen nabbed him; a loaded gun created new issues

A Connecticut man was sentenced to four years in federal prison this week on a weapons charge, according to federal authorities.

Elliott Otero, 34, of Manchester, also was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm, according to federal authorities.

Authorities, citing court documents and statements made in court, said that, in September 2021, Otero was charged in state court with failing to appear in connection with a probation violation “as part of his sentence for a 2018 conviction for criminal possession of a pistol/revolver,” and was a “fugitive felon.”

However, in February 2022, a private bail company found Otero outside of a liquor store in Manchester and attempted to apprehend him, authorities said.

“During a struggle, a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber pistol fell from his waistband,” authorities said in a statement. “Manchester Police arrived shortly thereafter and took custody of Otero and the pistol.  Subsequent analysis of the firearm revealed that it been stolen from a pickup truck in Wolcott in December 2021.

As Otero’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm, robbery, and larceny offenses, it is a violation of federal law for him to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, authorities said.

Otero has been in state custody since his arrest and in February 2023, he pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, authorities said.

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Manchester Police Department.