Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

       ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Anthony Grimes, 29, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $2,000,000 or both. The defendant, a convicted felon on federal supervised release, also pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his supervision. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Grimes will receive a sentence of 204-235 months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that Grimes was arrested October 2, 2013 after U.S. Probation officers searched his residence at 7 Grace Street in Rochester. During the search, officers seized crack cocaine packaged for street sale, a loaded, Beretta .380 Auto caliber semiautomatic pistol, $220 in U.S. currency, and a digital scale all secreted in a women’s purse. Officers also seized additional drug trafficking paraphernalia, including packaging material in the residence.

The conviction is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the United States Probation Office for the Western District of New York, Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special  Agent in Charge Thomas J. Cannon, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli.