According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Perez-Rodriguez admitted to possessing a loaded Walther .380 caliber pistol in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charge stems from an incident on December 3, 2021, in Shenandoah, in which State Parole Agents, members of the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force and members of the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force arrested Perez-Rodriguez for a violation of the conditions of his state parole. Perez-Rodriguez was found in possession of a loaded Walther .380 caliber pistol, an additional 35 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition, packets of fentanyl for distribution, packages of methamphetamine for distribution, and $875 in U.S. currency.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, State Parole Agents, and the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles:
fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Under federal law, Perez-Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a term of supervised release and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.