Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jean Green-Alvarez, 34, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to being felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie M. Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on January 15, 2020, at approximately 12:14 a.m., the defendant, while in possession of a loaded semiautomatic rifle, approached an individual and forcibly stole a backpack. Green-Alvarez then fled to 108 Emerson Street in Rochester and handed the weapon and proceeds from the robbery to an individual inside the home. The weapon was recovered by law enforcement officers in the basement of 108 Emerson Street. In September 2009, the defendant was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine in the District of Puerto Rico. As a result of that prior conviction, Green-Alvarez is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; and the United States Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Timothy C. Englerth.

The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 7, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.

# # #