Buffalo Man Charged With Gun Crime

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jesse Lewis, 46, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on September 30, 2016, Buffalo Police Officers, with the assistance of Lackawanna Police Officers, executed a search warrant at Lewis’s residence at 234 North Ogden Street in Buffalo. During the search, officers recovered a Harrington and Richardson Arms Company .32 caliber revolver which was loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Officers also recovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

The defendant made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being detained.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, and the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.