According to Huchul, To date, there are 150 confirmed opioid-related deaths in Erie County and 74% of those deaths involved fentanyl.”

In 2014, over 27,000 lives were lost to heroin and opioids in the United States, and reports indicate that number increased in 2015 and this year.

The largest number of deaths came from the abuse of prescription opioids, but the number of heroin deaths, including heroin laced with fentanyl, has increased dramatically over the last several years.

The Department of Justice has designated September 19-23, 2016 as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week. The fight against this deadly epidemic involves a three-pronged approach: prevention; enforcement; and treatment. The goal of enforcement is to reduce the supply of these deadly substances.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr.

U.S. Attorney Hochul encourages all in our community to:

• Have meaningful conversations with your family about the dangers of heroin and opioid abuse, it can happen to anyone.
• Get involved in activities in the community against heroin and opioids.
• Contact law enforcement if you suspect drug-related activity in your neighborhood.
• If you have prescription opioids in your home, make sure they are safely locked away.

To further raise awareness about this epidemic, on Thursday, September 22, 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with the Better Business Bureau of Upstate NY to present “Opiates in the Workplace.”

This two-hour event is free and open to all businesses in WNY. Employers can learn how to recognize the signs of addiction and ways to assist employees.

For more information and to register, go to http://bbbupstateny.org/opiates-workplace-registration/.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr.

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr. will hold a news conference Monday afternoon in Buffalo to begin National Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week.

The Department of Justice has designated September 19-23, 2016 as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week to bring awareness to the drug epidemic, which Hochul’s office says continues to devastate families across the country, including here in Western New York.

Hochul will be joined by a representative of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Lakeshore Behavioral Health.

During today’s event, Hochul will also release details of “Opiates in the Workplace” – an upcoming program designed for local businesses to learn how to recognize the signs of addiction and ways to assist employees.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul Jr. announced Friday that 44 year-old Raymond VanBuskirk has pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon.  The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

VanBuskirk has a New York State felony conviction for sale of a controlled substance. As a result he is prohibited from legally possessing firearms and ammunition. He was charged after an investigation found that he had moved two rifles, one shotgun, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition from his home to another location for safekeeping. In addition he kept a third rifle at his home, which was recovered by federal agents in June.

He’ll be sentenced in federal court on Dec. 2.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul’s office says Leo Kronert Jr. allegedly submitted false claims for payment to Medicare and private insurance companies while operating as a part-time chiropractor in Salamanca.

Kronert allegedly filed false claims for service he provided to family members, as well as for people who were never patients and for providing chiropractic services while he was actually out of town.

The false claims were reportedly committed between January 2011 and December 2015.

Kronert – who is also a math teacher in Salamanca – faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced Wednesday that Jose Martinez, aka Noelle, 47, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted following a jury trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, was sentenced to life in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

“As the punishment in this case reflects, the defendant – convicted of narcotics trafficking – has been sentenced as a murderer,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul.  “This Office will be relentless in utilizing all available federal tools to help ensure that those who pose a danger to our community are brought to justice.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas S. Duszkiewicz and Frank T. Pimentel, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that between 2007 and June 2008 the defendant ran a drug trafficking organization in Jamestown, NY. Martinez supplied cocaine to another drug trafficking organization in Jamestown led by Quentin Leeper.

In May 2008, Martinez put out a contract for the killing of an individual identified as Quincy Turner. The defendant believed that Turner was cooperating with law enforcement officers who were investigating the drug trafficking activities of Quentin Leeper. On May 30, 2008, Quincy Turner was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds inside his Mercedes SUV in the parking lot of his automotive garage adjacent to the Jamestown Airport.

A total of 45 defendants were charged in connection with three drug trafficking organizations operating between Jamestown and Rochester, NY. 40 defendants have been convicted, three were acquitted at trial and two others died, including Quincy Turner.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant David Bentley, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Joseph Gerace, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Harry Snellings. Additional assistance was provided by the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul Jr. announced today that 45 year-old Emmett Green of Delevan pleaded guilty Monday to RICO conspiracy. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to Hochul, the guilty plea marks the first time a member of the Motorcycle Club acknowledging that his former group is nothing other than a criminal front, engaging in such crimes as drug distribution, firearms sales, committing violence, and promoting prostitution.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Kingsmen also sought to preserve and protect their power, territory, and reputation through illegal activity such as intimidation, violence, threats of violence, assaults, attempted murder and murders… and was involved in placing victims, potential victims, potential witnesses, and others in fear of the enterprise, its members, and associates, through violence and threats of violence. Other acts of alleged violence by the Kingsmen include the murders of members Paul Maue and Daniel “DJ” Szymanski – who were both murdered behind the North Tonawanda Kingsmen Chapter clubhouse in 2014.

Sentencing for Green will be scheduled at a later date.

The U.S. Attorney’s office say 45 year old Michael Bush pleaded guilty on Tuesday to transmitting communications containing threats to injure another person.  The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

According to prosecutors Bush made threats online in January 2015 and again in February 2016 on the Topix.com website. The posts reportedly contained threats against Jamestown area law enforcement officers.

Hochul said that 32 year-old Barrett Johnson of Jamestown – along with 47 year old Richard Clarke, a Canadian citizen residing in Buffalo and 31 year-old Joshua Castro of Buffalo face charges that carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. In addition, Castro is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances which is also punishable by 20 years in prison.

According to the media release from Hochul’s office, the investigation began in February of 2015 when Clarke was identified through surveillance as the supplier of MDA and MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, to Johnson over a 10-month period.  According to the report, much of the trafficking took place in the Buffalo area, where Johnson ran a barbershop business.

A media release sent out Wednesday from the office of U.S. Attorney William Hochul, Jr. says that 35 year-old Michael Bush was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transmitting communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

According to the complaint, Bush is accused of posting a threat against two individuals in the Jamestown Police Department on the Jamestown, New York Topix forum website. The post was allegedly made on February 26, 2016.

The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department and the FBI.

In 2013, Bush was placed on Administrative leave from the JPD after being arrested following an off-duty incident at his Town of Ellicott home. During that incident he was charged with obstructing governmental administration after officers were called to his home and found Bush in the home armed with a weapon, threatening harm to himself. After three he finally allowed police to get him medical attention.

Bush appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder on Wednesday. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 7, 2016.

NY Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul

JAMESTOWN – Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul will be in Jamestown Thursday, marking her first visit to the south county since being elected as the state’s number two executive two last November.

Hochul’s visit to the city is largely connected to the 75th Anniversary Program of Robert H. Jackson’s 1940 speech on The Federal Prosecutor. At the time, Jackson was the Attorney General of the United States.

The evening will feature a panel discussion on the significance of Jackson’s speech and its continued relevance today.

Guest panelists include United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, William J. Hochul, Jr., who’s also the Lt. Governor’s husband.

Other guests include Honorable John M. Cleland, Senior Trial Judge for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Mike Connelly, Editor and Vice President of The Buffalo News; and David W. Foley, Chautauqua County District Attorney.

The Federal Prosecutor was one of Jackson’s most significant speeches made as the 57th United States Attorney General. Delivered during the Second Annual Conference of the United States Attorneys, the speech outlined the duties and role of the federal prosecutor and more importantly laid out Jackson’s vision for their ethical and proper conduct.

Robert H. Jackson assumed leadership of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on January 18, 1940.

The public is also invited to attend the event, which is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday. For more information visit RobertHJackson.org or contact the Robert H. Jackson Center at (716) 483-6646.

In addition to her visit tonight at the Jackson Center, Lt. gov. Hochul will also tour the Lucille Ball Museum & Center for Comedy earlier in the day.