Two Men Plead Guilty To Drug Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that two men, Connor Dempsey, 20, and Joel C. Jacob, 21, both of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S District Judge Elizabeth Wolford. Dempsey and Jacob each pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Dempsey pleaded to conspiring to maintain a drug involved premises, while Jacob pled to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute MDMA, also known as “Molly.” 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who is handling the case, stated that on August 17, 2016, defendant Jacob signed for a parcel addressed to him during a controlled delivery by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The delivery was made to Jacob’s residence on Campus Drive in Buffalo, a residence he shared with Dempsey. The package, which was ordered over the internet using bitcoins, was sent from Munchen, Germany and contained over 180 grams of MDMA.

During a search of the Campus Drive apartment, officers recovered quantities of: marijuana; LSD; cocaine; THC; Xanax; and ketamine. They also found a digital scale, baggies, empty capsules, other drug paraphernalia, and another mail parcel addressed to a third co-defendant.

The pleas are the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Shelly Binkowski of the Boston Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 16, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Wolford.