Hazleton Man Sentenced To 262 Months’ Imprisonment For Shooting And Killing Another Man During A Drug Deal

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on June 21, 2018, United States District Court Judge James M. Munley sentenced Christian Rosado to 262 months’ imprisonment on the federal charge of unlawfully possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.   

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, on July 9, 2016, Rosado, age 28, was selling marijuana in Hazelton and a shootout with a customer ensued. Rosado fired his .40 caliber Glock handgun multiple times and killed the drug customer.  Rosado was arrested the following day at the hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound.  Under federal law, Rosado’s possession of the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking is a federal offense. 

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob prosecuted the case. 

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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