ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jean Green-Alvarez, 33, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being 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 at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2020, Rochester Police Department officers responded to 46 Backus Street in Rochester for a menacing call. According to the complaint, the victim was knocking on doors on nearby Emerson Street attempting to get assistance with charging his cellular telephone. As the victim approached 108 Emerson Street, he observed a male, later identified as the defendant, and a female in the doorway of the residence. As the victim approached, the female handed the defendant what appeared to be a black rifle. The defendant approached the victim and demanded his backpack. The victim told officers that he complied with Green-Alvarez’s demands and handed him the backpack. Surveillance footage at 108 Emerson corroborated the victim’s summary of the events. Officers later searched the residence and located a rifle in the basement of 108 Emerson Street. On March 9, 2020, Green-Alvarez was arrested by police. In September 2009, the defendant was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine within a protected location in the District of Puerto Rico, and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Green-Alvarez made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; and the U.S. Probation Department, under the director of Chief Probation Officer Anthony SanGiacomo.
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 fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
