Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that David H. Cohen, 51, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who handled the case, stated that the charges stemmed from a joint federal, state, and local investigation which revealed that the defendant was responsible for distributing quantities of methamphetamine to a LeRoy, New York-based methamphetamine supplier, Donald G. Vanelli II, on three occasions in June 2010. The defendant sold up to 20 grams of methamphetamine to Vanelli.

Donald Vanelli was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 210 months in prison in May 2011.

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota; the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gary T. Maha; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Brian R. Crowell, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division; the New York State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Joseph D’Amico; the City of Batavia Police Department, under the direction of Chief Shawn Heubusch; and the Village of LeRoy Police Department, under the direction of Chief Christopher K. Hayward.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2013, at 3:15 p.m. EST, in Rochester, New York, in front of Judge Siragusa.