Lorenzo Wade, Armed Drug Trafficking, New York 2023

A 25-year-old Rochester man has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for armed drug trafficking.

Lorenzo Wade, of Rochester, was sentenced to serve a 7-year prison term in the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons, plus 4 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The charges stemmed from a search warrant executed at 155 McArdle Street in Rochester on July 6, 2018, where officers found over 15 grams of a substance containing heroin, fentanyl, and a fentanyl analogue, packaged for distribution, along with a non-functioning Tec-9 semiautomatic pistol loaded with 37 rounds of ammunition.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who handled the case, Wade told officers after his arrest that he bought the handgun for $800, but knew it didn't function because he had tried it. He said he used the handgun as a prop in the music videos he made and admitted to selling drugs.

The matter was brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which aims to reduce violent crime by focusing enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partnering with locally based prevention and reentry programs.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Mandatory Facts:

• Defendant: Lorenzo Wade
• Criminal Charges: Possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition
• City and State: Rochester, New York
• Exact Date: July 6, 2018 (arrest date)
• Sentence: 7 years in prison, plus 4 years of supervised release
• Dollar Amount: $800 (purchase price of handgun)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/armed-drug-trafficker-sentenced-prison-0