United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ALBANY, NEW YORK – On November 4, 2026, Emery Moore, age 57, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm as a felon. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam, First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, and Schenectady Police Chief Brian Whipple made the announcement.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Moore admitted that on five occasions from March through July 2025, he sold methamphetamine and cocaine in Schenectady, including at his home and on a playground.  Moore further admitted that when DEA agents executed a search warrant at his home in July 2025, they recovered three guns, 50 rounds of ammunition, and 91 grams of cocaine that he intended to sell. Moore was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law because he had been previously convicted of numerous felonies, including state drug and gun offenses. 

“A Playground should be a place where children can play, laugh, and have fun, not where drug dealers conduct their criminal business,” said DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam. “Emery Moore’s decision to turn a neighborhood playground into a marketplace for dangerous drugs, while illegally possessing firearms, demonstrates a reckless disregard for the safety of our communities. The DEA and our law enforcement partners will never allow drug traffickers to threaten the very places where our children should feel safe, and today’s 15-year sentence sends that unmistakable message.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone said: “Today’s sentence once again shows that the days of armed drug dealers plaguing Upstate New York’s streets are coming to an end.  My message to anyone selling drugs in our community is pack your toothbrush, because you are going to face the full weight of federal law when we catch you.  My office along with our partners are deploying the resources of the federal government to stop crime and drug abuse in its tracks.”  

Schenectady Police Chief Whipple stated: “Selling dangerous drugs in our community is unacceptable, but doing so on a playground where children should feel safe is especially disturbing. Let this sentence serve as a warning: if you bring drugs and illegal firearms into Schenectady, we will find you and hold you accountable. Our strong partnership with the DEA and U.S. Attorney’s Office ensures that dangerous offenders face serious consequences. Our residents deserve safe neighborhoods, and we are all committed to keeping them that way.”

U.S. District Judge Elizabeth C. Coombe also imposed a 4-year term of supervised release to follow Moore’s release from prison.  As part of his plea agreement, Moore agreed to forfeit or abandon the firearms and ammunition that law enforcement seized during a court-authorized search of his residence in July 2025.  

The DEA investigated the case with significant assistance from the Schenectady Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

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