Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm Offenses
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced that ERIC HERMAN, 32, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, following two fatal overdoses involving fentanyl in 2021, both of which were believed to be connected to Herman, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stratford Police Department began investigating Herman’s drug trafficking activities. In May and June 2022, investigators made two controlled purchases of fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine from Herman.
Herman was arrested on September 15, 2022. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a distribution quantity of cocaine, a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” with a laser sight attached, and additional rounds of ammunition.
Herman’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug and firearm 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.
Herman pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine base (“crack”), fentanyl, and heroin, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.
Herman has been detained since his arrest. He has also pleaded guilty in state court to narcotics and manslaughter charges stemming from an overdose death investigation.
The DEA’s HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.
