A Bronx anti-gun violence director who was trafficking narcotics on the side was sentenced Thursday in Goshen to 10 years in prison after admitting to a secret double life. Michael Rodriguez, 49, was the head of Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence when he was arrested by law enforcement in Orange County in July – just days after an interview with News 12 The Bronx in which he spoke about “bringing peace to the community” during an event for at-risk youth.
“It’s ironic someone who is an advocate against gun violence ends up getting arrested for having two guns in his house and is part of a major distribution drug ring,” said Judge Craig Brown during the sentencing. Rodriguez was busted under a multiagency sweep dubbed “Operation Hide in Plain Sight,” that rounded up 14 other defendants who Rodriguez is accused of supplying fentanyl-laced drugs. Officials say Rodriguez agreed to forfeit the proceeds of the drug ring – a car and cash - as part of a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and criminal possession of a controlled substance in October and will serve five years' post-release supervision when he’s released from prison.
More Upstanding Members of AntiViolence Group
The ex-con who was busted last month on gun and drug charges in a Big Apple subway station works for a taxpayer-funded anti-violence organization that deals with youngsters in the Bronx, law enforcement sources said.
Jermaine Greene — a member of Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, which advocates for safer communities — was allegedly carrying a loaded ghost gun and a bunch of drugs when police say he tried to slip through an emergency exit at the Fordham Road station in the Bronx on March 28.
When officers stopped the 42-year-old, they found him with a 9mm Polymer80 gun with a dozen live rounds in his waistband, police alleged at the time.
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