Prosecutors announced on Wednesday that a former honor student who topped the dean’s list had been given a 10-year jail sentence for selling more than 70 firearms to an undercover NYPD officer. Prosecutors alleged that Shakor “Sha” Rodriguez, 23, trafficked 73 firearms and 40 high-capacity magazines from the South to his native Bronx and to Manhattan. He was also given a five-year post-release supervision term.
The district attorney for the Bronx, Darcel Clark, stated in a statement that the suspect “delivered some of the weapons in duffel bags by bus and then sold them to an undercover NYPD officer.”
According to her, “the flood of guns threatens the safety of Bronxites.” I want to express my gratitude to our NYPD allies who helped prevent these firearms from reaching our streets.
The allegations state that between July 17, 2020, and December 22, 2021, Rodriguez, then a student at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, transported the firearms to New York City.
Prosecutors claim that the student transported 59 loaded pistols, selling them to a police officer for $1,000 to $1,500 each. Prosecutors claim that Rodriguez’s former neighbors on Weeks Avenue in the Bronx and on Allen Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side were the primary targets of his sales.
He maintained a 3.5 GPA while dealing guns and made the university’s dean’s list that semester. The former high achiever pled guilty to criminal sale of a firearm and fourth-degree conspiracy on September 19. He was given a sentence of one to three years in prison for each crime. Judge Albert Lorenzo handed out his sentence in Bronx Criminal Court.