Rochester Woman Pleads Guilty To Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Janet Flores, 44, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. 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 May 30, 2018, the defendant, acting together with others, sold an AM-15 rifle to a confidential source in exchange for $1,100 in cash. Previously, in September 2017, Flores was convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. 

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.

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 December 19, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Larimer.

# # # #