NEW YORK (DOJ) – Robert Alcantara pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to conspiracy to traffic firearms and conspiracy to launder money from his firearms trafficking. Alcantara conspired to sell more than 100 “ghost guns” to individuals in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Robert Alcantara built untraceable ghost guns and conspired to sell more than 100 of them to individuals in the Dominican Republic. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, his brazen gun trafficking scheme has been stopped.”
According to the Indictment and statements made in court proceedings and filings:
On November 20, 2021, Alcantara was stopped in his vehicle in possession of kits to build approximately 45 ghost guns. Alcantara was interviewed by law enforcement agents and stated that he was planning to turn the 45 kits into working firearms and that he had 50 additional similar ghost guns at his home. Alcantara used his Rhode Island home as a factory to machine ghost gun kits into working firearms. After Alcantara purchased ghost gun kits and machined them into working firearms, he sold those working firearms in the Dominican Republic. Alcantara received payments for the guns he sold in the Dominican Republic and laundered those funds.
* * *
Alcantara, 36, of Providence, Rhode Island, pled guilty today to one count of conspiring to traffic firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of conspiring to launder money, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Alcantara is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Broderick on November 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
