DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Monday, June 27, 2016
William J. Hochul, Jr.
, United States Attorney
Contact: Barbara Burns

Arsonist Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Eddie L. Vaughn a/k/a Elbow, 36, of Rochester, who was convicted of arson of a commercial building and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison and 3 years supervised release, by U.S. Chief District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. Vaughn was also ordered to pay $45,548 in restitution for the arson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that on September 22, 2013, Vaughn threw a Molotov cocktail into the Miami Deli Grocery at 176 Genesee Street in the City of Rochester. The Molotov cocktail exploded upon impacting the store floor, spreading fire throughout the store. The interior and exterior of the store was burned and extensively damaged. The Miami Deli Grocery was a business which routinely purchased and sold goods from suppliers within and outside the state of New York and the United States. As such, at the time of the arson, the building was used in interstate and foreign commerce, giving rise to the federal arson investigation and prosecution.

Vaughn was arrested on June 26, 2014 in connection with the execution of a search warrant at his residence at 5 Woodrow Street in the City of Rochester. During the search, a sawed-off .20 gauge shotgun was recovered as well as multiple rounds of .20 gauge shotgun ammunition. The shotgun was ballistically matched to a spent shotgun round recovered by RPD on June 20, 2014 at the scene of a shooting that night on Woodrow Street. As part of his plea agreement, Vaughn admitted possessing that firearm and ammunition, which were manufactured outside of New York State, after having been previously convicted of four felonies. Vaughn was ordered to forfeit the seized shotgun and rounds of ammunition as part of his sentence.

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation conducted by the Arson Task Force, which is comprised of Investigators of the Rochester Fire Department under the direction of Fire Chief John Schreiber, Rochester Police Department under the Direction of Michael L. Ciminelli, and Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the direction of Delano A. Reid.

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New York Field Division