A Dominican national residing unlawfully in the United States has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to unlawful possession of a firearm, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.
Luis Alberto De Los Santos, 23, entered his guilty plea on February 5, 2026, to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 27, 2026. De Los Santos also faces possible deportation following his sentencing. The final sentence will be determined by a federal judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court records indicate that De Los Santos is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the United States on a travel visa in 2021 and was required to leave the country in 2022.
On April 25, 2025, Providence Police saw De Los Santos with several individuals in the Hartford neighborhood. According to information presented to the court, he was wearing a ski mask and fled from police while carrying a firearm. He discarded the weapon behind a building before continuing to evade officers. Investigators later determined that he had possessed a .22 caliber pistol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Providence Police Department conducted the investigation.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which is described as “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,” according to officials.
