Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Rasheen Newkirk, 42, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wei Xiang and Patricia Astorga, who are handling the case, stated that on December 11, 2013, Newkirk was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Buffalo. A search of Newkirk’s house in Buffalo yielded, among other evidence, a quantity of heroin, 205 glassine envelopes, and a loaded Glock handgun. The defendant served a 112-month sentence for a previous federal firearm conviction and was prohibited from legally possessing any firearm and ammunition.

Newkirk pleaded guilty as jury selection was scheduled to begin for his trial tomorrow morning.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration Resident Offices in Buffalo, Toledo, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 15, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

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