STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Rashawn Brown, 31, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, crack cocaine and fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $20,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that on four occasions between March 31, 2017, and April 24, 2017, the defendant sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer working with the Lackawanna Police Department. On one occasion, Brown also sold both fentanyl and crack cocaine to the undercover officer.
The defendant was previously convicted in September 2012 in Erie County Court of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, a felony.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, and the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 1, 2018, before Judge Arcara.
