Pa. Felon Gets 40–80 Years After Arsenal Bust Exposes Straw Gun Scheme

Court News

HARRISBURG, PA — A Monroe County man barred from owning firearms was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 80 years in state prison after authorities uncovered a sweeping gun possession scheme that left nearly 30 weapons — including ghost guns and assault-style rifles — in his control, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.

Ramon Roldan Jr., 39, was convicted in November by a Monroe County jury of 29 felony counts of person not to possess firearms following a three-day trial. Prosecutors said Roldan used his girlfriend to purchase guns on his behalf, which he then stored, carried, or transferred despite being prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction.

The co-defendant, Melissa Saldana, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of materially false written statements on firearm applications. She will be sentenced at a later date.

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“This sentence sends the appropriate message that illegally possessing firearms threatens the sanctity and safety of our neighborhoods,” said Sunday. “This sentence is the fruit of our office’s continued commitment to pursuing individuals who snub their noses at firearms laws. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their teamwork, which led to convictions against both defendants.”

Investigators recovered 28 firearms from a storage unit rented by Roldan and other locations, authorities said. The cache included handguns, four ghost guns, multiple assault-style rifles equipped with suppressors, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and assorted firearm accessories.

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Charges were filed following a joint investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Christy Schlottman.

State officials said the lengthy sentence reflects the scale of the illegal gun activity and the danger posed by a convicted felon amassing and distributing firearms in violation of state and federal law.

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