St. Croix Man Sentenced to 50 Months in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

St. Croix, USVI – Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis on Tuesday sentenced Misael Melendez, a/k/a Salao, 50, to 50 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Chief Judge Lewis also ordered Melendez to pay a $100 special assessment and a $2,000 fine.

On January 28, 2016, Melendez pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on February 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.