(WNY News Now) – A 29-year-old Rochester man with a prior felony conviction has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing ammunition after authorities reported finding loaded, unserialized handguns during two separate incidents in 2025.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Stevon K. Spencer, 29, of Rochester, has pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of ammunition, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.

The charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Spencer is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2027, at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.

According to federal prosecutors, Rochester police officers saw Spencer holding a Polymer 80 semiautomatic handgun during a Facebook Live broadcast on the evening of August 5, 2025.

Later that evening, officers encountered Spencer near Ackerman Street. Authorities said he attempted to flee when officers approached but was apprehended following a brief foot chase.

During the arrest, Spencer allegedly continued reaching toward his waistband despite officers’ commands to stop. After he was handcuffed, officers found a loaded handgun without a serial number on the ground where his waistband had been, prosecutors said.

Spencer was initially charged in state court with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and released on $10,000 bond.

His prior conviction for second-degree robbery in Monroe County Court in August 2018 prohibited him from possessing ammunition, according to federal authorities.

On August 27, 2025, Spencer was arrested near Clifford Avenue and Miller Street in Rochester on a federal warrant charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The following day, law enforcement officers searched his residence on Wright Terrace. Investigators recovered another loaded Polymer 80 semiautomatic handgun without a serial number, along with ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Spencer’s guilty plea resolves the federal ammunition charge. His sentencing will determine the penalties imposed by the court.

The investigation was conducted by the Rochester Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Federal officials said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative focused on combating violent crime, illegal immigration, drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations.