ANCHORAGE – A federal jury convicted an Anchorage man for possessing heroin, pure methamphetamine and a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Anchorage Police Department officers responded to a 911 call about a man spray painting cars when they encountered Michael Delpriore, Jr, 41 attempting to leave the area in his vehicle. Delpriore refused to obey officer’s commands to stop and exit his vehicle. While refusing to exit the vehicle, Delpriore kept rolling his driver’s window up and down to obscure officers’ view inside the vehicle and continued reaching down towards the floor.
Eventually Delpriore exited the vehicle and was taken into custody. During a pat-search, officers found a digital scale with drug residue, a knife, and over $1,000 cash. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, officers found four grams of methamphetamine, numerous syringes, and two loaded 9mm magazines. Officers also found a loaded semi-auto 9mm pistol and 140 grams of heroin hidden behind the dash near the steering wheel of the vehicle. In total there were 49 live 9mm rounds found in Delpriore’s vehicle.
“Michael Delpriore’s conviction is another step forward in helping make Alaska’s communities and streets safer for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska. “My office and our law enforcement partners are using every tool at our disposal to hold individuals accountable for the destructive drugs they sell that ruin so many Alaskan lives.”
“This case represents the importance of the public being committed to helping law enforcement fight crime,” said APD Police Chief Michael Kerle. “This entire investigation started because a citizen witnessed criminal behavior and took the time to alert police. Collaboration between law enforcement entities is important; but the involvement of the community we serve is equally important. Police and citizens working together is the only way successful prosecutions such as this one will continue to happen.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason, who presided over the trial, ordered that Delpriore be detained pending sentencing. Delpriore faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Anchorage Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of the FBI Anchorage Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charisse Arce and Seth Brickey are prosecuting the case.
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