Press release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Charles Williams, 40, of Batavia, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who handled the case, stated that late in the evening on July 19, 2017, Genesee County Sheriffs Drug Task Force Officers observed the defendant operating a vehicle. An investigator initiated a traffic stop after confirming that Williams had an active warrant for his arrest. The defendant exited the vehicle and was arrested without incident.
During an inventory search of the vehicle, officers found a black nylon bag on the front passenger seat, which contained a handgun loaded with ammunition, as well as two small plastic bags containing suspected cocaine concealed in a cigarette box. Laboratory analysis determined that William’s DNA matched DNA found on the firearm. On July 20, 2010, the defendant was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 5th Degree, in New York State Court, and was sentenced to serve two-and-a-half years in prison. As a result, Williams is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The plea is the result of an investigation by 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 August 29, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.