BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Theodore E. Coffie, 54, of Olean, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that between July 2016, and March 2021, Coffie conspired with Joseph S. Zaso, and others, to sell heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana in the Olean area. Zaso was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
Coffie was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held pending a detention hearing.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, 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.
