Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 45-year-old John A. Gugino of Hamburg pleaded guilty yesterday morning before Hamburg Town Court Justice Gerald P. Gorman to one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor). He pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge on the morning his non-jury trial was scheduled to begin.

On October 17, 2020, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the defendant was the subject of a search warrant when he was stopped by Erie County Sheriff’s deputy while driving on Milestrip Road in the Town of Hamburg. A small quantity of cocaine was found during a search of the vehicle. The defendant was initially charged with a felony for possession of cocaine, but further testing determined that the weight of the cocaine was a misdemeanor level.

Gugino, who was off-duty at the time of his arrest, was employed as a jail deputy with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.

Gugino faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail when he is sentenced on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. He remains released on his own recognizance as the charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Frank A. Strano of the Major Crimes Unit.