BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Nathaniel Gates, Jr, 47, of Fredonia, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possessing with intent to distribute, and distributing, 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth T. Molisani and Charles E. Watkins, who are handling the case, stated that in April 2015, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating the drug trafficking activities of the defendant in Chautauqua County, NY. During the investigation, investigators made three controlled purchases of narcotics from Gates. Investigators also executed a search warrant at the defendant’s Brigham Road apartment in Fredonia and recovered illegal narcotics and items commonly used in drug distribution.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2021, before Judge Sinatra.