Western District of New York
William J. Hochul, Jr.
Contact: Barbara Burns
www.justice.gov/usao/nyw
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Possession Charge
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Jonathan Rivera, 34, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to possession of a firearm and ammunition while being a convicted felon. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years In prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan who is handling the case, stated on May 24, 2014, the Rochester Police Department received a 911 call regarding a man pointing a shotgun at someone through the window of a car he was driving in the area of Upper Falls Boulevard and North Clinton Avenue.
Officers responded and saw a car that matched the vehicle description they had been given speeding in the area of Oakman Street. The vehicle was pulled over in the parking lot of a restaurant located on Upper Falls Boulevard at North Clinton Avenue. Rivera jumped out of the car, put his hands in the air and was detained. Officers saw a Winchester 1300 Ranger slide action 12 gauge shotgun in the defendant's car in between the driver's seat and the driver's side door, as well as four shotgun rounds in the cup holder in the center console.
In August of 2007, Rivera was convicted in Livingston County of Burglary in the Second Degree.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Delano A. Reid, New York Field Division and members of the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
New York Field Division