BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Julius Hall, Jr., 31, Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that on Nov. 10, 2016, during the execution of a search warrant at 303 38th Street, Apartment 2, in Niagara Falls, law enforcement officers found the defendant in the living room. A.40 caliber Glock pistol with a loaded 15-round magazine was found inside a zippered bag in the defendant’s bedroom closet. In addition, four plastic bags containing cocaine and crack cocaine were recovered from various locations within the apartment. One plastic bag containing green vegetable matter, two digital scales with white powder residue on the surface, and $578 in U.S. currency were also found within the apartment.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent Bryan DalPorto.
Sentencing is scheduled on Jan. 11, 2018, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
