⏱ 2 min read
Luis Rojas Cay, a 29-year-old from Youngstown, Ohio, was caught attempting to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from the Pittsburgh International Airport on April 26, 2024, with a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun, two unloaded handguns, and approximately 204 rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in his checked luggage. Rojas Cay, a previously convicted felon in Kansas for robbery and attempted kidnapping, was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. The firearms and ammo were cleverly hidden in packages wrapped in multiple layers of foil-backed tape and contained inside a metal briefcase lined with sheet metal, which was then placed inside a suitcase.
Rojas Cay’s sentence of 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, was imposed by United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy on July 29, 2026. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson and was the result of a collaborative investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allegheny County Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The successful prosecution of Rojas Cay is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. The Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy in 2021, strengthening PSN based on core principles of fostering trust and cooperation between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The outcome of this case demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration between law enforcement agencies in keeping communities safe from violent crime and gun violence. Rojas Cay’s sentence serves as a warning to those who would attempt to circumvent the law and possess firearms as convicted felons.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: Ohio
- Location: PA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
