Prior felon pleads guilty to possessing ammunition

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Stevon K. Spencer, 29, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca to being a felon in possession of ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years, and a fine of $250,000 or both.

On the evening of August 5, 2025, Rochester Police officers viewed Spencer in possession of a Polymer 80 semiautomatic handgun while he appeared in a feed on Facebook Live. Later that evening, officers encountered Spencer in the area of Ackerman Street. When officers approached, he attempted to flee but was apprehended and arrested after a short foot chase. As officers were taking Spencer into custody, he continued to reach into his waistband area despite repeated demands to stop. After he was secured in handcuffs, officers located the loaded pistol, which did not have a serial number, on the ground directly where Spencer's waistband had been. He was charged in New York State Court with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and released on a $10,000 bond. Spencer was previously convicted in August 2018 in Monroe County Court of Robbery in the Second Degree and is legally prohibited from possessing ammunition.

On August 27, 2025, Spencer was arrested again in the area of Clifford Avenue and Miller Street in Rochester on a federal warrant charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition. On August 28, 2025, law enforcement searched his residence on Wright Terrace and recovered another loaded Polymer 80 semiautomatic handgun, which again did not have a serial number, as well as ammunition.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vacca.

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