U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced that Taraja Green, a 28-year-old resident of Rochester, New York, has pleaded guilty to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca and carries a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who is overseeing the case, reported that on March 17, 2024, officers from the Rochester Police Department found Green asleep at the wheel of a running vehicle on Seward Street. Upon approaching the vehicle, officers observed a 9mm pistol on Green's lap which was later confirmed to be loaded. Green had previously been convicted of a felony in August 2019 in Monroe County Court and is therefore legally barred from possessing firearms.
This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through evidence-based strategies. PSN involves collaboration among various stakeholders to address community-specific violent crime issues by focusing enforcement efforts on high-risk offenders while supporting prevention and reentry programs.
The investigation leading to this plea involved cooperation between the Rochester Police Department under Chief David Smith and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives led by Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller from the New York Field Division.
Green's sentencing is set for July 8, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., with Judge Vacca presiding over the proceedings.