Prior felon pleads guilty to gun and drug charges

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Derrel Lemorn Moore, Jr. a/k/a Derrel Austin, 47, of Niagara Falls, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that in January 1996, Austin was convicted of multiple felony charges in Erie County Court, including kidnapping, burglary and robbery. Part of his sentence included lifetime parole. On February 17, 2022, New York State Parole officers and the Niagara Falls Police officers searched Austin's 7th Street residence, seizing approximately 17 grams of cocaine, 44 grams of fentanyl, 40 suboxone packages, and a pistol.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III, the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent Nicholas Ligammari, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.

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