BUFFALO, NY – A convicted Buffalo felon is headed back to prison for between 3 1/2 to 7 years after being found guilty and sentenced for being in possession of illegal guns.
34-year-old Rinaldo R. McBride, also known as Rinaldo Vass, of Buffalo was arrested after law enforcement officials were tipped off about his illegal guns.
“Parole officers from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the Buffalo Police Department Intelligence Unit received a tip that the defendant, who was on parole for a prior conviction, was in possession of a handgun,” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said. “On September 16, 2020, at approximately 10:00 p.m., parole officers went to the defendant’s residence on Alma Avenue in the City of Buffalo to conduct a compliance search. Investigators found two illegally loaded handguns in an upstairs bedroom. One weapon was hidden between the mattress and the box spring of the bed. The second loaded gun was found inside of a diaper bag.”
Vass pleaded guilty to the lesser offenses on the day jury selection was scheduled to begin in his upcoming trial, Flynn said.