Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Philip Vincent, 39, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and possession of a weapon in furtherance of drug trafficking before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci. Jr. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan T. Cullinane and George C. Burgasser, who are handling the case, stated that on December 2, 2014, the U.S. Marshals Violent Felony Fugitive Task Force encountered the defendant at his residence in Niagara Falls while looking for a fugitive. Officers searched Vincent’s 20th Street residence and discovered a .38 caliber revolver along with marijuana plants and crack cocaine.

 

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, and the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Chief Bryan DalPorto.

 

Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Geraci.