Derrel Lemorn Moore, Jr., also known as Derrel Austin, has pleaded guilty to charges of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo in Buffalo, New York.
Moore, 47, from Niagara Falls, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment along with a $1 million fine. His plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan said that Moore had previously been convicted in January 1996 on several felony counts in Erie County Court, including kidnapping, burglary, and robbery. As part of his sentence at that time, he was placed on lifetime parole.
On February 17, 2022, parole officers from New York State and officers from the Niagara Falls Police Department searched Moore’s residence on 7th Street. During the search they found about 17 grams of cocaine, 44 grams of fentanyl, 40 packages of suboxone, 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 for Moore is set for August 20, 2026 at 1:00 p.m., before Judge Sinatra.
