BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Nikita Burt, 38, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of firearms. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Buffalo Police Department executed a search warrant at a Mortimer Street residence, an address known to be utilized by Burt. During the search, three handguns with defaced serial numbers were recovered. In 2013, Burt was convicted on a federal charge of distributing crack cocaine and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and is being held pending a detention hearing on Jan. 19, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Schroeder.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Timothy Foley, New York Field Division, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
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
