U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced July 15 that Otis Williams, 39, of Buffalo — also known as “Skino” — was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of drug trafficking, and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Buffalo Police Department’s Gang Intelligence Unit have been probing the activities of the Black Soprano Family (BSF), a violent street gang active in and around the city. Law enforcement alleges Williams is a suspected BSF member and a narcotics trafficker who supplies individuals in the Western District of New York.
On July 14, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at Williams’ Ericson Avenue residence and seized a handgun; approximately 88 grams of crack cocaine; quantities of suspected cocaine and fentanyl; suspected ecstasy pills; drug paraphernalia; and three cell phones, the complaint says. Williams has prior felony convictions in 2008, 2015 and 2016 and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
Williams made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 21, 2026. The criminal complaint carries a statutory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life for the charged offenses.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis A. Testani, Katerina Powers and Joshua A. Violanti. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II, and the Buffalo Police Department, under Commissioner Erika Shields.
These allegations are contained in a federal criminal complaint. A complaint is an accusation; a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
