Former Albion man, 22, pleads guilty to firing shots outside Greece residence
Press Release, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., Western District of New York
ROCHESTER – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Christopher Rivers, 22, formerly Albion pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to being a 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 Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that during the early morning hours of January 25, 2019, the defendant fired a shotgun multiple times outside an apartment window at 1221 Affinity Lane in Greece, NY.
Rivers, a Greece resident, was previously convicted of Criminal Possession of a Firearm in Orleans County Court, and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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 plea is the result of an investigation by the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick D. Phelan, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 30 at 10 a.m. before Judge Larimer.
