Chemung County man pleads guilty to drug and gun charges

TIOGA COUNTY, N.Y. ( WETM ) – A Chemung County man pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges yesterday in federal court.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Charles Kennedy, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in connection to an incident that occurred in Tioga and Broome counties.

Kennedy was arrested on the charges after a high-speed chase on Sept. 5, 2021, where he fled from New York State Police in Tioga County during a DWI investigation. The chase continued into Broome County, where deputies from the Broome County Sheriff’s Office joined to catch him.

Kennedy’s car then crashed on Route 17 when he attempted to jump out of the moving vehicle after police used tire deflation devices to stop him. As a result, he was pinned between the passenger side door and a concrete abutment and faced minor injuries.

The vehicle was then searched, and police located a loaded M and P 9mm semiautomatic pistol, meth, cocaine base, cocaine powder, fentanyl, marijuana and a money counting machine.
The incident went under further investigation and Kennedy admitted during his guilty plea that he had conspired with others to distribute more than 50 grams of meth, cocaine base, cocaine powder, heroin and fentanyl.

Kennedy is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13, 2024, where he faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000,000, for the offenses of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He also faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000, for the offense of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. These sentences will run consecutively to one another.

Kennedy will also face a term of at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. His sentence will be established by a judge based on the particular statute he is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New York State Police and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Grabowski, Richard Southwick and Geoffrey Brown are prosecuting the case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.