Southbury Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Sawed-Off Shotguns and Silencers

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that ANTHONY ENGLEHARDT, 44, of Southbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to a firearm offense related to his unlawful possession of sawed-off shotguns and silencers.

According to court documents and statements made in court, shortly before midnight on March 13, 2023, Torrington Police received a report that Englehardt used a rifle and shot a hole in the ceiling of a Torrington residence, and then left the residence. At the time, Englehardt was subject to a protective order issued by the Waterbury Superior Court that required him to surrender all of his firearms and ammunition. At approximately 12:30 a.m. on March 14, 2023, Connecticut State Police stopped Englehardt's vehicle, took him into custody, and charged him with multiple offenses. Later that day, a search of Englehardt's Southbury residence revealed 10 firearms, six silencers, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and various firearms parts and accessories. Three of the firearms were sawed-off shotguns and were not registered pursuant to the National Firearms Act. The six silencers also were not registered.

Englehardt pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered National Firearms Act firearms and silencers, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.

Englehardt has been detained since his federal arrest on May 25, 2023.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police, Torrington Police Department, and Southbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret M. Donovan and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutsanis, with the assistance of Law Student Intern Eli Scher-Zagier.