Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Frankie Rios, age 42, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Rios, a convicted felon, admitted that he possessed a .25 caliber Mauser handgun with six rounds of ammunition on March 30, 2019. The handgun was recovered from Rios by Troy Police Officers responding to a stabbing at a bar on 4th Street in Troy. Rios also admitted that on February 17, 2021, he possessed over 100 grams of cocaine and cocaine base with intent to distribute those substances, in Troy.

Rios faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years when he is sentenced before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on May 11, 2023. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case is being investigated by ATF and the Troy Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.