HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 5, 2026, Xavier Melendez-Hernandez, age 41, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by one year of supervised release by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for conspiring with others to distribute cocaine.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Melendez-Hernandez conspired with Victor Colon-Rosario, Hector Rayann Santos-Carasquillo, and Joseph Fontanez-Machuca to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine in the greater Harrisburg area in 2021 and 2022. Each of the defendants was indicted and later pleaded guilty.
In 2024, Judge Wilson sentenced Colon-Rosario to 24 months in prison and Santos-Carasquillo to 60 months in prison. In February 2026, Judge Wilson sentenced Fontanez-Machuca to time served after he had spent nearly two years in pretrial and presentence detention.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
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