Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul announced today that Damone Holcombe, 28, of Buffalo, N.Y., pleaded guilty today before United States Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.  The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U. S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who is handling the case, stated that on September 21, 2011, Erie County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence on Grant Street in Buffalo and found, among other items, a 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle, a digital scale with cocaine and marijuana residue on it, and a bag of marijuana in Holcombe’s pants pocket.

This is the last of five convictions stemming from an investigation into the activities of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation street gang on the West Side of Buffalo in 2011.

The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Cannon, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy B. Howard.

Sentencing will be in front of United States District Judge William M. Skretny on a date to be determined.

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