ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Frederick Bernard Morgan, 51, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that on July 17, 2019, the defendant was in possession of a.22 caliber rifle, having previously been convicted, in December 2002 in Monroe County Court, of Assault in the Second Degree. As a result, the defendant is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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, New York Field Office.
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.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
