Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Rochester Man Pleads Guilty To Drug And Firearm Charges

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

BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Terry Wilson, 39, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, to  possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins who is handling the case, stated that on June 26, 2017, during a vehicle and traffic stop, the defendant was found in possession of a Jimenez Arms, J.A. NINE model, 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, bearing serial number 375367, which was loaded with 11 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. The traffic stop was made after the defendant was observed driving southbound on Bailey Avenue at a high rate of speed. Upon stopping the vehicle, the officers recognized the defendant from previous contacts with him and knew that he did not have a valid driver’s license. The officers patted the defendant down and recovered approximately 3.71 grams of cocaine base from the defendant’s pockets. The defendant admits that he possessed the cocaine base with intent to distribute it.

Thereafter, the defendant’s passenger was removed from the vehicle and the firearm was recovered from within the passenger’s purse. The defendant admits the firearm belonged to him and that he maintained dominion and control over the firearm while he stored it in the passenger’s purse.

The defendant admitted that on or about July 19, 2012, in Erie County Court, he was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, which is a crime that is punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.  The defendant further admitted that on or about June 22, 2005, he was convicted of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, which is a crime that is punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. 

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Steve Dickey and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Byron Lockwood.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 23, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: District Man Found Guilty of Charges in 2015 Killing in Northeast Washington

            WASHINGTON – Davon Payton, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of charges stemming from the killing of a man in a dispute that took place in 2015 in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Payton was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 16, 2018 of involuntary manslaughter and related weapons charges. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 13, 2018.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 13, 2015, the victim, Ray Harrison, along with his fiancée and her female friend from Texas, drove unannounced to Payton’s apartment at 2:30 a.m.  Mr. Harrison and his fiancée were friends with Payton and his girlfriend.

            When Mr. Harrison and the two women arrived in the 1300 block of Adams Street NE, the two women stayed in the car while he walked up the steps and knocked on the front window of Payton’s apartment.  In response, Payton pulled a gun from his waistband and went to the front door.  He confronted Mr. Harrison on the front steps of the building, demanding to know why he there at that hour of night.  A tussle ensued, and, during the fight, Payton shot Mr. Harrison in the chest.  Mr. Harrison, 21, staggered to the curb, where he collapsed and died. 

            Payton was arrested on Nov. 20, 2015, after a warrant was issued for his arrest, by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. She acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mannarino and Nicholas Coleman; Criminal Investigator Zachary McMenamin; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Stephanie Gilbert; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Leif Hickling; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Marcia Rinker, Katina Adams-Washington, and LaJune Thames, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, and Intern Shani Brown.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Gonzalez Roman, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest and Jennifer Fischer, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Morrisville Man Sentenced to 90 Months For Child Pornography Offenses

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Caraher, age 28, of Morrisville, New York, was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Caraher to 20 years of supervised release, to begin following his term of imprisonment.  Caraher will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Caraher pled guilty in October 2017.  He admitted using a custom-built desktop computer to access child pornography-oriented Internet sites, including at least one site on the anonymous “Tor” network, for the purpose of downloading child pornography.  Caraher admitted to using peer-to-peer file-sharing software on a laptop computer to download additional child pornography, which he stored on external drives.  Overall, Caraher downloaded and saved more than 100 videos and almost 1,000 images depicting child pornography.  Caraher further admitted to using an instant messaging application on his phone to trade child pornography with other users.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.