Jamestown man sentenced for his role in narcotics conspiracy

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Curtis Snyder, 53, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Snyder was an associate and co-conspirator of Rocco Beardsley, who sold large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances in the Jamestown area. On April 9, 2019, an individual identified as J.A. was discovered deceased from an apparent overdose at a residence in Jamestown and Beardsley was believed to be involved in the overdose. About a month after J.A.'s overdose death, Beardsley sent Snyder to the residence of another individual to force this individual to make a video regarding Beardsley's lack of involvement with J.A.'s overdose death. In exchange, Snyder would receive a "bundle" of heroin/fentanyl. The individual complied and made the video, stating that Beardsley was not present at J.A. residence the date of J.A.'s overdose death.

Rocco Beardsley was previously convicted and sentenced.

This case was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Emergency Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Jeffrey E. Intravatola. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.

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