Albany Man Sentenced to 188 Months for Armed Robbery of a Drug Dealer in Guilderland

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jorge L. Rosario, age 54, of Albany, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for robbing a marijuana dealer and brandishing a pistol in furtherance of the robbery at the dealer’s Guilderland residence.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Bryan Miller, 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.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Rosario admitted that on January 23, 2022, at about 5 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.

Chief United States District Judge Branda K. Sannes also ordered that Rosario serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.  Rosario’s sentence was within a recommended sentencing range and supervised release term that the parties agreed upon in Rosario’s plea agreement.  

On June 14, 2024, Chief Judge Sannes sentenced Madera to 85 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. 

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