A Manchester man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for illegally making and selling phantom weapons in a shipping container in Suffield, officials said.
Andrew Francoeur, 36, appeared in court on Wednesday and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant to 33 months in prison, followed by three years’ supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Francoeur was charged as part of an ongoing investigation into ghost guns — privately made firearms that cannot be traced — in Connecticut, officials said.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that Francoeur bought firearm parts from a Missouri-based company and had them shipped to him. According to officials, he then made firearms in a shipping container in Suffield and sold several.
While Francoeur was in state custody in September 2022 for other drug and gun-related crimes, investigators searched the shipping container and found gun-making tools, gun parts, and ammunition. Two months later, investigators found a .22 caliber rifle, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, 25 high-capacity magazines, M-80 explosives, firearms equipment and parts and other items in two storage bins owned by Francoeur, officials said.
Francoeur pleaded guilty in April to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and one count of manufacturing and trading firearms without a license. According to officials, his criminal history includes previous convictions for firearms, drugs, burglary and non-appearance violations.
A person convicted of felonies may not possess a firearm or ammunition that has been moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Judge Bryant has ruled that Francoeur’s sentence will increase to the sentence he is currently serving, the US Attorney’s Office said.
