St. Croix, USVI - United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Samuel Melendez, age 43, was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2019 after being convicted of Possession of Firearm in a School Zone.
District Court Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis sentenced Melendez to 5 years of Federal probation, a $1000 fine and ordered Melendez to pay a special assessment of $100.
According to court documents, on or about October 8, 2018, Samuel Melendez possessed a Jimenez Arms.380 Semi-Automatic pistol at the Frederiksted vegetable market, which is within 1000 feet of St. Patrick’s Elementary School. The firearm was tested and found to be operable. The Defendant did not have a valid license to possess a firearm, and the firearm had moved in and affected interstate commerce
The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
