Man caught twice in possession of meth pleads guilty
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; New York Division, and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., announced that Scott Schafer, 39, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, methamphetamine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who is handling the prosecution of the case, stated that in the early morning hours of March 8, 2018, members of the Rochester Police Department arrested Schafer for possessing methamphetamine. The investigation began when officers saw a vehicle illegally parked on a side street off of Monroe Avenue. The vehicle was blocking part of the road, as well as a driveway and the bicycle lane. When law enforcement went to issue traffic tickets, they found Schafer in the bathroom of a nearby restaurant, where they learned Schafer had abruptly retreated when law enforcement approached the location.
Officers found Schafer, who was shaking and appeared nervous, with multiple bags of methamphetamine on him when he was searched. They also found more methamphetamine in the garbage can in the bathroom where the defendant had been when he was first confronted by law enforcement.
On April 10, 2018, officers again arrested Schafer, this time at a gas station on South Clinton Avenue in Rochester. When officers approached the car to check on the welfare of the occupants, Schafer was in the front passenger seat and the driver was holding a small clear plastic baggie containing several small, white rocks. Officers believed this substance was methamphetamine, which was confirmed by subsequent testing.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, and the DEA Rochester Resident Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 10, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
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