Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Luis Mercado a/k/a Yvng Fabii, 24, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of a machinegun and possession of a firearm with a removed, altered and obliterated serial number. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti, Louis M. Testani, and Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on February 9, 2024, Buffalo State University police officers responded to an altercation during a men’s basketball game. While officers were trying to identify the parties involved, Mercado began to run away. When confronted by law enforcement, he stopped running, raised his arms, and stated, “I got the thing on me.” When questioned as to what he had, Mercado stated, “I got the joint on me.” During a pat down on Mercado, officers found a loaded pistol with a suspected machine gun conversion device and extended magazine. Law enforcement later learned that the firearm had a defaced serial number.
Mercado made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. and was held pending a detention hearing.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.