East Rochester Man Sentenced for Roles in Scrap Medal Theft and Marijuana Grow Operation
ROCHESTER, N.Y.– Christopher H. Monfort, 41, of East Rochester, N.Y., was sentenced to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay $4,669.26 in restitution for his roles in scrap metal theft and a marijuana grow operation.
Monfort was convicted of burglary of a railcar and manufacturing 50 or more marijuana plants. He admitted to using a residence to house a marijuana grow operation, where police recovered 276 marijuana plants, as well as scales, lights, and other equipment used to grow and manufacture marijuana.
The scrap metal thefts occurred between June 19 and June 30, 2009. Monfort and his co-conspirators stole more than 17 gross tons of high-grade scrap steel from a railcar at a CSXT rail yard in Batavia, N.Y. They used a logging truck to remove the scrap steel and wore dark clothing and used lookouts to avoid detection by law enforcement authorities and pedestrians.
Monfort’s co-conspirators, Richard E. Riedman, Anthony Russell, Anthony Toscano, and Timothy M. Stone, were also involved in the scrap metal thefts. Riedman, Toscano, Russell, and Stone were convicted of the theft that occurred on June 30, 2009, after a two-week jury trial. Toscano, Russell, and Stone were sentenced to 18 months, 15 months, and 12 months in prison, respectively. Riedman is awaiting sentencing.
The convictions relating to the scrap metal thefts are the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. The conviction relating to the marijuana grow operation is the culmination of an investigation by the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team.
Monfort was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa on June 30, 2012. The investigation and prosecution of Monfort’s case were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey.
According to the indictment, Monfort stole an additional 50 gross tons of high-grade processed scrap steel during three other thefts from railcars at the same CSXT railroad yard between June 19 and June 20, 2009.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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