Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 44-year-old John A. Gugino of Hamburg was arraigned before Buffalo City Court Judge Betty Calvo-Torres, acting as a Hamburg Town Court Justice, on Sunday, October 18, 2020 on the following charges:

• One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, a Class “D” felony   
• One count of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, a Class “A” misdemeanor
• One count of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana in the Second Degree, a violation
• One count of Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Inspection Certification, a vehicle and traffic law violation

It is alleged that on Oct 17, 2020, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the defendant was driving on Milestrip Road in the Town of Hamburg when he was stopped by an Erie County Sheriff’s deputy for a traffic infraction. Investigators allegedly found a quantity of cocaine and marijuana inside the defendant’s vehicle that did not have a valid inspection sticker.

Gugino is scheduled to return on Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. He was released on his own recognizance.

If convicted on all charges, Gugino faces a maximum of 7 years in prison. 

DA Flynn commends the Erie County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit for their work in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty of the DA’s Tactical Prosecution Unit.