Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge for His Role in Cocaine Conspiracy
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Division, announced today that Deshan Scott, 22, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that between September and October 26, 2021, Scott conspired with others to sell cocaine. In the early morning of October 26, 2021, investigators executed search warrants at numerous locations associated with the narcotics conspiracy, including a residence on Bernard Street. At that location, Scott worked as a lookout for the organization, watching for threats to their operation such as law enforcement or armed robbers, while other co-conspirators sold street-level quantities of cocaine to customers. When Scott saw law enforcement approaching, he threw a loaded 9mm handgun out of a window, which was found on a roof ledge outside a window. During the search of the residence, law enforcement also recovered 200 plastic vials of cocaine and $2,310 United States currency.
Scott was arrested and charged along with eight other defendants. He is the fifth defendant to be convicted.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the DEA Rochester Resident Office, New York Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Field Division; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; the New York State Police; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office; the Rochester Police Department; the Greece Police Department; the Brighton Police Department; and the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 1, 2022, before Judge Geraci.
