Felon Pleads Guilty To Possessing Firearm And Ammunition

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Angel Gonzalez-Reyes, 27, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who is handling the case, stated that Gonzalez-Reyes was arrested on June 15, 2019, after New York State Police troopers attempted a routine traffic stop of a car the defendant was driving in Rochester. Gonzalez-Reyes drove away from the troopers and a chase ensued.  The defendant crashed his car into the yard of a house on Kohlman Street and ran before being apprehended by Rochester Police Department officers in the area. While searching the car, officers found a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol along with ammunition for the handgun.    

Gonzalez-Reyes was convicted in United States District Court in Puerto Rico in 2013 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
  
The matter was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.  PSN 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.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 22, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.

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