EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Attorney General announced the arrests of two Monroe County residents for an alleged straw purchasing operation that involved a woman buying guns for her boyfriend, a convicted felon.
According to Attorney General Michelle Henry, Melissa Saldana and Ramon Roldan, Jr., both age 39, are charged with numerous violations of the Uniform Firearms Act, and false swearing.
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General discovered Saldana repeatedly bought firearms for her boyfriend, Roldan, who was prohibited from having firearms due to multiple felony convictions.
11 charged with selling drugs at Monroe County Elements FestivalSaldana straw purchased at least 20 firearms in the past two years, many of the same make and model, police said. When asked about the guns, Saldana did not know the makes and models and lied about their locations, as stated in the release.
The firearms were found in a storage unit rented by Roldan. Agents searched the storage unit seizing 27 firearms, and two more as the result of Roldan’s cooperation at the time of his arrest.
The following firearms seized included the following:
- 22 handguns purchased by Saldana, among them four polymers80 guns (ghost guns), as well as multiple assault-style rifles with suppressors
Office of Attorney General
"This couple deliberately tried to circumvent the system by obtaining dozens of firearms, including ghost guns and assault rifles, for a convicted felon and inconspicuously stashing them in a storage unit," stated Attorney General Henry.
All charges discussed are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.