Jose Luis Sanchez-Rosado, a 44-year-old man from Volusia County, Florida, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being caught dead-center in a gun crime sting that exposed his brazen disregard for the law. Sanchez-Rosado, a convicted felon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron for possession of a firearm—conduct strictly prohibited under federal law due to his criminal history.
The case blew open in June 2017 when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received intelligence that Sanchez-Rosado had not only worked at a gun store in Deltona but had also handled firearms and provided tactical training to customers. For a man legally barred from owning or touching guns, this wasn’t just a job—it was a middle finger to the justice system.
Court documents reveal the depth of his criminal defiance: Sanchez-Rosado pawned a 5.56-millimeter caliber rifle at a pawnshop in Orange City. The transaction flagged law enforcement, triggering a full investigation into his activities. Possession of that single rifle was enough to trigger the Armed Career Criminal Act, given his multiple prior felony convictions.
Sanchez-Rosado pleaded guilty on December 1, 2017, cutting short a trial but doing nothing to soften the blow of his 15-year federal prison sentence. The Armed Career Criminal Act, designed to slam repeat offenders with enhanced penalties, ensured he wouldn’t slip through the cracks with a slap on the wrist.
The probe was a joint effort between ATF and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office—agencies that have doubled down on cracking down on illegal gun possession under the reinvigorated Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. Launched to unite federal, state, and local law enforcement, PSN aims to dismantle violent crime networks and clean up streets poisoned by illegal firearms.
Assistant United States Attorney Sean P. Shecter led the prosecution, coordinating with U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, who oversees PSN efforts in the Middle District of Florida. As Attorney General Jeff Sessions emphasized in October 2017, the renewed focus on PSN means zero tolerance for gun crimes—especially when the offender is a felon playing gun store cowboy.
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