Rochester Man Pleads Guilty To Illegally Possessing A Firearm And Selling Cocaine

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Miguel Gonzalez-Adams, 40, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and an $8,000,000 fine.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is handling the case, stated that on January 31, 2020, United States Postal Inspectors obtained a search warrant for a priority mail package that was sent from Puerto Rico to the defendant’s residence in Rochester. The package contained over two kilograms of cocaine. The cocaine was removed from the package and replaced with sham cocaine. Postal Inspectors then conducted a controlled delivery of the package to Gonzalez-Adams’ residence.

On February 3, 2020, once the defendant accepted delivery of the package, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of Gonzalez-Adams’ residence. Officers found the opened package on the first floor of the house. The defendant was located in an upstairs bedroom with $2,435 in cash and a cell phone that displayed the tracking information for the cocaine package. Officers also recovered a loaded AR-15 style rifle, along with an additional 162 rounds of ammunition for that weapon. 

Gonzalez-Adams was previously convicted in 1999 of felony crimes in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Kevin M. Henderson; the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick D. Phelan; the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Rieger; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2020, at 9:15 am before Judge Siragusa.