Cheektowaga Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge

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 Jason Yelder, 35, of Cheektowaga, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a fine of $5,000,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that on March 20, 2016, Yelder was arrested for driving with a suspended license. The defendant’s vehicle was searched by Hamburg Police and more than 23 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and large amounts of U.S. currency were seized. Yelder was advised of his rights, waived his rights, and admitted to police that he was going to sell the methamphetamine to another co-conspirator.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gregory Wickett; the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Askey; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 14, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.