Prior felon arrested on new gun charge (DOJ)

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael Mitchell, 32, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, late in the evening on August 25, 2025, Buffalo Police officers responded to a residence on Austin Street for a call reporting a male in the house with a gun. When officers arrived, they located the 911 caller down the street. Officers made contact with Mitchell at the residence and detained him while conducting the investigation. Officers searched the residence, during which they seized a black hoodie sweatshirt with an unloaded firearm in the pocket, and a container with two 9mm rounds of ammunition. Officers also located a small amount of suspected crack cocaine.

In April 2013, Mitchell was convicted of a federal charge of bank robbery by force of violence and sentenced to serve 108 months in prison. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alphonso Wright and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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