DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of New York

For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 27, 2014
William J. Hochul, Jr.
, United States Attorney
Contact: Barbara Burns

Rochester Man Sentenced on Drug Conspiracy and Money Laundering Charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Albert L. Sturgis, 51, of Rochester, N.Y., who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of cocaine base, and one kilogram or more of heroin and money laundering, was sentenced to 130 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Noto, who handled the case, stated that the defendant was a well-known drug dealer operating primarily on the West side of the City of Rochester and was responsible for the distribution of numerous kilograms of cocaine in the Rochester area. Sturgis and 11 others were arrested in February 2010 after a nearly year-long investigation conducted by Federal and State authorities and involving the court-authorized interception of wire communication on cellular telephones utilized by the defendant and others in the drug conspiracy. All 12 defendants have been convicted, Sturgis is the eighth defendant to be sentenced. This is Sturgis’ third felony drug conviction.

The sentencing is the culmination of a multi-agency investigation under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. Federal and State law enforcement agencies, including Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearm and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Cannon, Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, Special Agents of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, and officers from the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of chief Michael Ciminelli, worked in concert with the United States Attorney's Office in the year-long investigation.

New York Field Division