NYC Anti-Gun-Violence Program Head Was Drug Trafficking In The HV: DA

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — A Westchester man who headed an anti-gun violence program in New York City and was part of a cocaine trafficking ring in Orange County pleaded guilty Thursday in an agreement with prosecutors.

Michael Rodriguez, 49, of Yonkers, was director of Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, an anti-violence program that works to promote safer streets in the borough. It has received government funding.

"It is appalling that the Director of a respected program which serves to reduce gun violence and help at-risk youth would himself be a major drug dealer," said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. "Those members of our community who suffer through addiction are the vulnerable prey to people like this defendant, who chose a comfortable life cultivated on the backs and over the bodies of his customers."

Under a plea agreement, it is expected Michael Rodriguez will be sentenced to an aggregate term of 10 years in prison to be followed by five years post-release supervision when he returns to court Jan. 4. He also agreed to forfeit a car and $165,000 as proceeds of his crimes.

He was uncovered during a two-year probe by the Middletown Police Department into cocaine trafficking in and around the city. Investigators were suspicious about Otisville resident Angelica Rodriguez, a/k/a "Jelly," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that after conventional investigative means failed to reveal evidence showing what they thought was the entire extent of the narcotics conspiracy surrounding Angelica Rodriguez, 39, the District Attorney’s Office applied for permission to use court-ordered eavesdropping.

Prosecutors said investigators discovered that the same suppliers who were providing Angelica Rodriguez and her co-conspirators with cocaine to sell were also supplying narcotics to people in Port Jervis.

On July 26, a search warrant was executed at Michael Rodriguez’s Yonkers residence, which resulted in the seizure of 1,516 grams (over 1.5 kilograms) of cocaine, $165,509 in United States currency, scales, a money counter, an unlicensed Ruger .380 caliber pistol, an unlicensed Bond Arms .357 caliber handgun, a vacuum sealer, digital scales and jewelry estimated to have a value of approximately $50,000.

Michael Rodriguez was accused of supplying cocaine to narcotics dealers in Middletown and Port Jervis and possessing two illegal handguns.

At the plea proceedings, Michael Rodriguez admitted to entering into a conspiracy with Angelica Rodriguez and Taino Lopez and supplying them cocaine to resell. He pleaded guilty before the Hon. Craig Stephen Brown in Orange County Court to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Second Degree.

The City of Middletown Police Department were later aided in the investigation by the Orange County Drug Taskforce. That Taskforce is run under the supervision of a Senior Criminal Investigator from Orange County District Attorney’s Office and a Senior Investigator from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

"The guilty plea entered by Rodriguez highlights the strength of this case and the tremendous work and effort that went into this investigation," said Middletown Police Chief John Ewanciw. "This case is also a testament to the investment that law enforcement makes to rid our communities of these poisonous drugs."

Hoovler praised Middletown Police for their investigation and for working with the Orange County Drug Task Force, and other law enforcement agencies such as the City of Port Jervis Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police.

"The plea of Westchester resident Michael Rodriguez shows the reach of the Orange County Drug Task Force, and my Office," said Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta. "No matter where drug dealers are located, if you are selling illegal drugs in Orange County, my Office and our partners will find you and hold you accountable."

A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the
criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the DA's office said.