BUFFALO, NY – Walter Stewart, a 33-year-old Buffalo resident, has been charged with escape from custody after leaving a halfway house in June 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York announced on Wednesday. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Stewart had been serving a 58-month prison sentence following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In May 2024, he was transferred from the Ray Brook Federal Correctional Institution to CRJ Lighthouse Residential Reentry Center in Buffalo, where he was scheduled to serve the remainder of his sentence with a projected release date of August 10, 2024. However, on June 26, 2024, Stewart left the center without authorization, prompting the U.S. Marshals Service to initiate a search.
Stewart was apprehended on August 30, 2024. The investigation, led by the U.S. Marshals Service under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, resulted in his arrest and the criminal complaint. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Stewart faces up to five years in prison for the escape charge, in addition to his original