Department of Justice

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Kwashie Ajavon, 33, of Greece, NY, who was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who handled the case, stated that on August 13, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence on Estall Road in Greece. During the search, officers recovered three loaded firearms, approximately $1,200 in cash, methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug packaging materials and cutting agents. Officers also searched a vehicle pursuant to a search warrant and recovered a quantity of crack cocaine and a scale.

In 2008, Ajavon was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree in Monroe County Court and sentenced to 42 months in prison. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.

The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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