U.S. Attorney’s report

The office of U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced actions on the following cases:

• Amber Crouse, of Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5 million fine. Crouse sold heroin to confidential sources. On Feb. 5, 2015, officers executed a search warrant at a home on Gorton Street in Buffalo where Crouse was with Carlos Laboy. The officers found baggies that contained heroin residue and three cellular telephones. One of the cellular telephones was a number that the confidential sources would contact to set up drug transactions. Charges are pending against Laboy. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford scheduled Crouse’s sentencing for May 31.
• Jose Maria Agustin, 34, a citizen of Mexico, who recently lived in Elba, Genesee County, was charged with re-entry after deportation subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction and failure to register as a sex offender. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Agustin was convicted in 2009 in California of two counts of forcible rape and one count of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to five years in prison. After serving the sentence, Agustin was sent back to Mexico and permanently barred from returning to the United States. In December 2015, Agustin was found working in the United States.
• Ashley Marie Gnocchini, 29, of Cheektowaga, Erie County, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wolford. On Nov. 15, 2010, officers searched the residence of Ricky Lee Pyzikiewicz on Maurice Street in Buffalo. Officers seized baggies containing cocaine and marijuana as well as a rifle and ammunition. The search was part of an ongoing criminal investigation into narcotics trafficking by Pyzikiewicz and Gnocchini. On the same day, officers set up an undercover purchase  with  the  defendants.  As  the pair drove  to  the  meeting, police stopped their car and found cocaine. Pyzikiewicz was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and being felon in possession of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4.