Luis Castano Gets 96 Months for Illegal Firearm Possession

Luis Castano, 43, of Jamestown, N.C., is headed to federal prison for nearly eight years after being caught with a loaded AR-style rifle during a traffic stop in Carroll County, Virginia. The convicted felon was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to 96 months behind bars for illegal possession of a firearm, a charge that stems from a late-night traffic stop on December 30, 2018.

Castano pleaded guilty in 2019 to being a felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of federal law. The sentence handed down includes 72 months for the current conviction and an additional 24 months for violating the terms of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction—also for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The back-to-back gun offenses underscore a pattern of defiance that prosecutors say warranted serious punishment.

That night in 2018, deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office pulled Castano over for erratic driving. What started as a routine traffic stop turned into a federal case when officers discovered a Bushman AR-style rifle inside the vehicle. The weapon was loaded with a high-capacity magazine containing 61 rounds, with one round chambered and ready to fire—a detail that federal prosecutors emphasized as particularly dangerous.

Castano isn’t just any repeat offender. His criminal history includes a previous federal conviction for the same crime, making his latest offense a clear breach of court-ordered supervision. The additional 24-month sentence for violating supervised release was imposed to hold him accountable for failing to comply with the conditions of his freedom after the first conviction.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in coordination with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities wasted no time building the case, relying on physical evidence and Castano’s criminal record to secure a swift guilty plea. Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case, calling Castano a threat to public safety due to his repeated illegal possession of firearms.

Upon completion of his 96-month sentence, Castano will face an additional 36 months of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen, who announced the sentencing, reiterated the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons. “Eight years in prison sends a message,” Cullen stated. “We’re watching. And we’re enforcing the law.”