Buffalo

(WNY News Now) A Buffalo man who was involved in a drug plot that resulted in a gruesome triple killing faces over 14 years in federal prison.Buffalo, New York. Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford sentenced 42-year-old James Reed, also known as Fatts, to 166 months in prison for his involvement in a drug conspiracy that resulted in the brutal murders of three individuals in 2019—including a young father and mother.Reed was found guilty of conspiracy involving drugs, obstruction of justice, felony use of fire, and accessory after the fact. Following a collaborative investigation by the FBI, Buffalo Police Department, and other organizations, he was sentenced.The lawsuit concerns a drug trafficking organization that was based out of Buffalo's 973 Fillmore Avenue. The property wa...

Buffalo, New York (WNY News Now) After being found guilty of illegally removing her children from their legal guardian in defiance of an active order of protection, a Buffalo mother received a sentence of three years probation.Judge Carrie Phillips of Buffalo City Court sentenced 41-year-old Jennie M. Johnson Friday morning. On August 6, 2024, Johnson entered a guilty plea to two Class A misdemeanors: unlawful imprisonment in the second degree and custodial interference in the second degree.The allegations are related to an event that occurred on April 18, 2024, in Buffalo, where Johnson enticed her two children away from their guardian along Hertel Avenue. Johnson illegally confined the kids and drove them to her house in contravention of an Erie County Family Court order of protection. T...

(WNY News Now) – A Buffalo resident has been found guilty of fraudulently obtaining thousands in social services benefits by concealing her marital status and household income.Buffalo, N.Y. – State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens convicted Carmella Miller, 39, of Buffalo, of grand larceny and welfare fraud, both third-degree felonies, after a one-and-a-half-day non-jury trial. Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced the guilty verdict, stating that Miller knowingly deceived the Erie County Department of Social Services to unlawfully obtain Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits totaling $6,406 over nearly two years.According to court records, between March 2018 and February 2020, Miller concealed her marital status and household income on re-...

(WNY News Now) – In a courtroom plea that concludes a tragic case, a Buffalo man admitted guilt for the fatal stabbing of another man on the city’s West Side.BUFFALO, NY — Timothy A. Austin, 37, of Buffalo, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for the fatal stabbing of 49-year-old Tremaine Mayfield. The plea was entered on Wednesday before Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio, with Austin acknowledging his responsibility in the violent incident that left Mayfield dead.The stabbing took place on June 11, 2023, at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Niagara Street’s 400 block. According to Buffalo Police, officers were called to the scene after a 911 report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, they found Mayfield suffering from a single stab wound to the chest. He was transported to E...

(WNY News Now) – Rochester, NY – A Buffalo businessman has pled guilty to an extensive fraud operation that leveraged stolen identities from clients to secure millions in fraudulent loans. Paul Paredes, 53, pleaded guilty in federal court before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, crimes that may result in up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that since 2013, Paredes has owned J&E Business Consulting LLC, which provides services to client businesses, including acting as a broker between the credit card processing companies and smaller retail businesses. Small businesses provide J&E with their financial information, such as...