Rochester Felon Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Markiest D. Hartfield, 24, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on January 4, 2019, members of the Rochester Police Department approached the defendant in the area of North Clinton Avenue and Scrantom Street in Rochester. When the officers approached Hartfield, he had a semi-automatic rifle concealed in his pants. The defendant was also found in possession of approximately 77 rounds of ammunition.

In March 2018, Hartfield was convicted of Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree, and as a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition. 

The plea is the result of an investigation by 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.

The case was brought by the U.S. 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.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2020, at 10:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.

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