Ohio Felon Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Checking Luggage Containing Concealed Firearms and Ammunition

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, has been sentenced in federal court to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a felon and carrying a weapon on an aircraft, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Luis Rojas Cay, 29, on July 29, 2026.

According to information presented to the Court, on or about April 26, 2024, Rojas Cay was attempting to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from the Pittsburgh International Airport on a commercial airline when agents discovered in his checked luggage a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun, an unloaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun, an unloaded 40 SW caliber semiautomatic handgun, and approximately 204 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The firearms and ammunition were concealed in packages wrapped in multiple layers of foil-backed tape and contained inside a metal briefcase that was also lined with sheet metal. The briefcase was then placed inside a suitcase that Rojas Cay checked with the airline. Rojas Cay was previously convicted in Kansas on robbery and attempted kidnapping charges. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allegheny County Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rojas Cay.

This case is 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.