Amsterdam Felon Sentenced to 66 Months for Firearms Offenses

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Nelson Rodriguez, age 39, of Amsterdam, New York, was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing a firearm as a felon.  

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Amsterdam Police Chief Gregory J. Culick; and Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division.

Rodriguez was convicted of attempted murder in 2009.  In pleading guilty, he admitted to selling cocaine base (a/k/a crack cocaine) in Amsterdam and to possessing a .25 caliber handgun to protect his drugs and drug money.  The handgun was discovered under Rodriguez’s mattress during the execution of a search warrant on his Amsterdam apartment in August 2017.  Along with the handgun, law enforcement seized 6 grams of crack, 40 individually-wrapped packages of crack, and $2,000 in cash. 

Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release, to be served after Rodriguez’s release from prison.

This case was investigated by the Amsterdam Police Department and ATF, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus P.W. Rieck.