John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of
Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has
returned an indictment charging JOSEPH GRIFFIN, 42, of Hartford, with two
counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.
As alleged in the indictment, on two occasions in January
2019, Griffin possessed and distributed fentanyl.
The indictment was returned on April 2, 2019, and Griffin
was arrested today. He appeared before
U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford, entered a plea of not
guilty to the charges and was released on a $50,000 bond.
Griffin has been on federal supervised release since
December 2017. Prior to beginning his
term of federal supervision, Griffin served a 10-year sentence for a federal
narcotics conviction related to his distribution of crack cocaine.
If convicted of the new charge, Griffin faces a maximum term
of imprisonment of 20 years in prison. He also faces additional penalties if he is
found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not
evidence of guilt. Charges are only
allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Northern
Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals
Service and Hartford Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang
and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle.
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