Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis on Tuesday sentenced Misael Melendez, also known as "Salao," to 50 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
Lewis also ordered Melendez to pay a $100 special assessment and a $2,000 fine.
The 50-year-old Melendez pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on Feb. 11, 2015, Melendez sold a stolen .22 caliber rifle to an undercover informant. In 2009, Melendez had been convicted of a felony, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in the District Court of the Virgin Islands.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Virgin Islands Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.
