DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, December 15, 2015
William J. Hochul, Jr.
, United States Attorney
Contact: Barbara Burns

Perry Housing Project Ringleader Pleads Guilty to Drug, Money Laundering and Firearm Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Tyshawn Bradley, 29, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine within 1000 feet of the Perry Housing Projects, conspiracy to commit money laundering and possession of an unregistered, sawed off rifle before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, a minimum of 10 years supervised release and a $20,000,000 fine.
 
“Through his criminal conduct, the defendant turned a public housing project into a virtual prison for seniors, children, and those most in need of assistance,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Thanks to today’s conviction, the defendant will soon experience the sort of confinement he inflicted upon these innocent residents. We are committed to prosecuting all gang and narcotics traffickers, wherever they are found.”   
 
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Michael J. Adler, who are handling the prosecution, stated that the defendant was the head of a narcotics trafficking ring that operated primarily in the Perry Housing Projects in Buffalo. Bradley maintained several apartments on the grounds of the projects, operated by the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, where members of his organization sold crack cocaine on a daily basis.
 
The defendant was arrested along with nine others on April 3, 2013 following the execution of search warrants several locations in the City of Buffalo and Cheektowaga, including at 124 Fulton Street and 305 Perry Street, which are located at the Perry Housing Projects. During the searches at the Perry Housing Projects, officers recovered over 300 grams of crack cocaine and 700 grams of powered cocaine as well as a sawed-off, 9mm semiautomatic rifle that belong to Bradley.
 
In addition, between October 2011 and April 3, 2013, the defendant conspired with others to purchase multiple houses in the City of Buffalo using the proceeds of his crack cocaine distribution organization. As part of the money laundering conspiracy, the properties were purchased by co-defendant Nannette Brown to conceal Bradley as the true owner of the properties.
 
To date, nine of the 10 charged defendants have been convicted.
 
Today’s plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen. The task force includes representatives of the Amherst Police Department; the Buffalo Police Department; U.S. Border Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Cheektowaga Police Department; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department; the Hamburg Police Department; the Lancaster Police Department; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police; the New York State Department of Correctional Services; the New York State Police; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Marshal Service, the Lackawanna Police Department, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.   Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler.
 
Sentencing is scheduled for March 29, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.
 

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New York Field Division