STAFF REPORTS


ROCHESTER — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Tyrone Jiggetts, 47, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to being a 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 May 6, 2019, the defendant possessed a 12 gauge double-barrel shotgun at a gas station at 799 West Main Street in Rochester. In 1991, Jiggetts was convicted of Robbery in the Third Degree, and in 2004, he was convicted of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree. As a result, the defendant is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

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.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 13, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.