CONTACT:  Barbara Burns

PHONE:      (716) 843-5817

FAX #:         (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Robert L. Williams, Jr., 36, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal transportation of a firearm purchased outside of New York, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel O. Ulubiyo and Timothy C. Lynch, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, between November 2017, and May 2018, the defendant traveled from Buffalo, NY to the State of Ohio where he utilized multiple straw purchasers to acquire approximately 80 firearms. The straw purchasers bought the firearms, mainly pistols, at gun shows or from federal firearms licensees. Williams then returned to Buffalo and sold the firearms to multiple buyers.

Law enforcement officers believe that at least two of the firearms have been used in acts of violence in Buffalo.

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and is being held pending a detention hearing on May 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

The defendant was previously convicted in New York State Court of a gun felony and two drug felonies and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Williams is currently on parole for the gun conviction.  

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.

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.