Buffalo Man Charged with Perjury in Bailey Boys Investigation

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Acoff, 22, of Buffalo, New York, has been indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with perjury. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony M. Bruce, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, Acoff told a federal grand jury that he had first-hand knowledge of the January 19, 2011 murder of Harold McCain. The defendant told the grand jury that he received a telephone call from McCain’s alleged killer following the murder asking the defendant to pick him up. Acoff further claimed that he did, in fact, pick up the alleged killer, who then provided the defendant with details of the murder. According to the indictment, Acoff never received a call from the alleged killer, did not pick him up, and did not have conversations regarding the murder of Harold McCain.

Bailey Boys Gang member Tyrone Brown was indicted, along with six other members and associates, on August 1, 2012. The indictment alleged that Brown murdered Harold McCain in January 2011.

Michael Acoff was arraigned this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy.

The Indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation on the part of the United States Attorney’s Office in close cooperation with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Frank A. Sedita, III; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy B. Howard; and the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Askey.