Rochester Man Charged In Federal Court With Multiple Drug And Gun Charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that David Dixon, 38, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $1,000,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant was arrested on March 11, 2020, at approximately 2:37 a.m., after police responded to an attempted burglary call. Upon searching Dixon, officers recovered a loaded handgun, approximately 24 grams of cocaine, and $586 in cash.

In 2004, Dixon was convicted of Robbery in the First Degree and as a result is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was detained.

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.

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

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.