BUFFALO, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ernest Brown, a/k/a Wayne Perry, a/k/a Wayne Brown, 43, Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 400 grams of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 175 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Brown’s federal sentence will be served consecutive to the sentence of 25 years to life that he received after an Erie County Court jury convicted him of Murder, 2nd degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, 2nd degree. During the conspiracy, Brown was a source of supply for Joseph Zaso. Zaso met Brown through co-defendant James Jackson, a middleman for narcotics transactions. Brown met his co-conspirators at various locations in Buffalo, including Zaso’s and Jackson’s residences.
At times, Jackson delivered fentanyl to Zaso on behalf of Brown. Joseph Zaso was previously charged and convicted and is awaiting sentencing. Charges remain pending against James Jackson.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 Louis A. Testani. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Forster, 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. # # # #