Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that on Sept. 22, 2013, Mateo and Eddie L. Vaughn, a/k/a Elbow, transported Molotov cocktails to the Miami Deli Grocery at 176 Genesee Street in Rochester. Vaughn broke the store window with a brick. Mateo and Vaughn then lit a Molotov cocktail which Vaughn threw into the store. The Molotov cocktail exploded upon hitting the store floor and spread fire throughout the building. The interior and exterior of the store were burned and extensively damaged.
Vaughn has also been convicted of arson.
Today’s plea is the culmination of an investigation conducted by the Arson Task Force, which is comprised of Investigators of the Rochester Fire Department, Rochester Police Department, and Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mateo will be sentenced on March 15, 2016 at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci. Vaughn is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 3, 2016 at 3:00 p.m., also before Judge Geraci.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
