Men Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to more than 17 years in prison for drug trafficking and discharging a firearm.

According to court documents, Aaron Robinson, 28, and his co-defendant Rodrick Greene, 31, participated in a heroin, cocaine base and cocaine trafficking conspiracy in the Hampton Roads area from September 2017 to March 2018. In December 2017, Robinson discharged a firearm during a drug trafficking crime at the Budget Lodge Motel in Newport News, where one individual was shot in the stomach and leg. Both men were arrested in March 2018, after conducting a cocaine transaction and Greene was found in possession of a firearm used in furtherance of the cocaine sale. 

Greene previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on July 1 to over seven years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Bradenham prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-5.