Rochester Man Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Contraband Into Jail

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Hoeub Chan, 35, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to smuggling narcotics into jail, before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that Chan was sentenced to federal prison in January of 2016, following his conviction for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. After being taken into custody, law enforcement officers discovered that the defendant smuggled Oxycodone and Dextroamphetamine into his place of incarceration in the seams of his shirt, socks, and hidden in his shoes. Chan made multiple false statements in which he denied possessing any contraband to Deputy United States Marshals while being processed.

Chan’s incarceration stemmed from his conviction for conspiring to commit mail fraud for engaging in a scheme with others to defraud Rochester Electric and Gas by re-routing closed account payments. As a result of that scheme, the defendant obtained over $72,000, which he was ordered to repay.

Today’s plea is the culmination of an investigation conducted by the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.