Buffalo Man Convicted of Drug Conspiracy by a Federal Jury Going to Prison for 22 Years
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Roman Dunnigan, 44, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, was sentenced to serve 264 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in May 2017, co-defendant Henry Lloyd attempted to travel from Buffalo, NY, to Houston, TX, but was stopped at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport by TSA Agents and found to be in possession of $64,000, which was seized by the DEA. The following day, Lloyd and Dunnigan rebooked a flight, traveling from Rochester, NY, to Houston, TX. The DEA learned of this flight and notified the DEA Resident Office in Houston. Law enforcement surveilled Dunnigan and Lloyd and on May 11, 2017, Houston police officers pulled over a rental vehicle driven by Dunnigan and Lloyd. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a kilogram of cocaine in the trunk and Dunnigan and Lloyd were arrested and charged locally by the Houston Police Department.
Approximately three weeks later, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, along with the DEA, executed a search warrant at an Elmwood Avenue residence in Buffalo, recovering 177 grams of cocaine, 344 grams of butyryl fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, $5,500 in cash, a receipt in Dunnigan’s name, and a firearm with Dunnigan’s DNA.
Henry Lloyd was also convicted by a federal jury and is awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; the Houston Police Department, under the direction of Chief Troy Finner; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Police, under the direction of Chief Brian Patterson; the Transportation Security Administration; the Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory, under the direction of Commissioner James Jancewicz; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; and the U.S. Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Timothy Englert.
