Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charge
PROVIDENCE – A Dominican national, living unlawfully in the United States, pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to unlawful possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.
Luis Alberto De Los Santos, 23, pleaded guilty on February 5, 2026, to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He will be sentenced on April 27, 2026, and faces possible deportation. The sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, De Los Santos is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the country on a travel visa in 2021 and was required to depart the U.S. in 2022.
On April 25, 2025, Providence Police observed De Los Santos with a group of individuals in the Hartford neighborhood. De Los Santos, who was wearing a ski mask, fled from police with the firearm, before discarding the weapon behind a building and continuing to flee. Through their investigation, law enforcement discovered the defendant had been in possession of a .22 caliber pistol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman.
The matter was investigated Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Providence Police Department.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America,a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.