Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ALBANY, N.Y. — Jorge L. Rosario, 53, of Albany, pled guilty today to robbing a marijuana dealer and brandishing a pistol in furtherance of the robbery at the dealer’s residence in Guilderland.

U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Guilderland Police Chief Daniel P. McNally made the announcement.

Rosario admitted that on January 23, 2022, at about 5:00 a.m., he and Alexander G. Madera, armed with a pistol and a rifle, respectively, entered a single-family residence in Guilderland with the goal of robbing a marijuana dealer. After entering the residence, Rosario remained on guard in the living room while Madera robbed the dealer of $172 in drug money, at gunpoint, in the dealer’s bedroom. Before they could leave the residence, however, another resident awoke and encountered Rosario, who pointed his pistol at the resident, warning the resident not to move or say anything. A struggle over the pistol ensued, with other residents joining in. In the course of the struggle, Rosario and Madera were disarmed. They were then restrained until the police arrived and arrested them. Bost have remained in custody since that time. 

Rosario will be sentenced on July 9 by Chief U.S. District Judge Branda K. Sannes. Under the terms of Rosario’s plea agreement, the parties have jointly recommended that Rosario receive a prison term of between 168 and 188 months, and a five-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.   

Madera previously pled guilty to armed robbery and brandishing charges and is scheduled for sentencing on May 3. He faces a minimum term of imprisonment of seven years, a maximum term of life, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to five years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. sentencing guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by ATF and the Town of Guilderland Police Department, with the assistance of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmet O’Hanlon and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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