Andres Arizari Desantiago
Introduction
Andres Arizari Desantiago, a 24-year-old from Apopka, Florida, has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, in a case where Orange County sheriff’s gang-enforcement deputies tracked him to a shopping plaza, watched him slide a gun into his waistband before he even stepped out of the car, and arrested him with the loaded firearm still on him. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison, with no sentencing date set .
Background Information
The Justice Department release describes Desantiago as a six-time convicted felon whose previous convictions include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, burglary of a dwelling, and grand theft. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law — a prohibition the February 2026 encounter allegedly broke within sight of the deputies sent to arrest him .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Pleaded guilty; sentencing pending.
According to court documents, on February 20, 2026, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Enforcement Unit was tracking Desantiago because he had an outstanding warrant. Officers located him in his vehicle in a shopping plaza in Lake County. Before Desantiago exited the vehicle, an officer saw him place a firearm into the front waistband of his pants. The gang-unit agents then made contact, placed him under arrest, and recovered the loaded firearm .
The plea to unlawful possession arrived with the exposure stacked against him: a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for an offense that exists, in the law’s design, to take guns out of the hands of people whose records — six felony convictions, including an identical gun charge — already removed them from the lawful pool .
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement of the plea. The release records no statement from Desantiago or his defense. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angela M. Palacios .
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative coordinating federal, state, and local law enforcement against violent crime, and — per the release — a key component of Operation Take Back America .
Current Status
Desantiago has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Until it arrives, the 15-year maximum remains a ceiling rather than a term, and the offense stands as a plea, not a verdict — though the government’s account of the February 2026 arrest is now his own admitted conduct, made as part of the plea .
Impact on Their Career/Life
A sixth felony conviction is now a guilty plea in federal court, and the prior list that made it a six-time record — a previous felon-in-possession case, a burglary of a dwelling, grand theft — now ends in a sentencing hearing that has not yet been scheduled. At 24, Desantiago faces up to 15 years for a loaded firearm he carried while already wanted on a warrant, the kind of arithmetic that converts a gang-unit traffic stop into the longest exposure of his young record .
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, “Six-Time Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing a Loaded Firearm,” October 29, 2026 — source