Rochester Man Sentenced On Drug And Gun Charges

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Ronald Dodd, 32, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to nine years in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The defendant was also ordered to forfeit a .380 caliber pistol and rounds of ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that shortly after midnight on August 15, 2015, Rochester Police Department Officers responded to a report of gunfire at 431 Lake Avenue in Rochester. Officers spoke to a witness who stated that an unknown black male on a bike had pulled out a handgun from his waist and yelled that this was “his hood” during an argument outside the residence. Shortly afterward, witnesses heard gunshots and the gunman left the area.  Responding officers observed Dodd riding a bike a short distance away and pursued him. The defendant fled but officers apprehended him hiding behind a bush at 17 Phelps Avenue. Dodd had three bags of marijuana, two bags of heroin, and two bags of cocaine in his pants. There was a stolen, Bryco Arms .380 semi-automatic handgun on the ground next to a tree where Dodd was apprehended.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the direction of Delano A. Reid, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli.