New York ex-con captured in Puerto Rico after being released without bail on gun charges

An ex-con who disappeared after being released without bail on gun charges was captured by federal agents in Puerto Rico, a source told the New York Post.

Frankie Centeno was set to face prosecution for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm. But Centeno allegedly ignored an order to get fitted with an ankle bracelet following his release.

He was nabbed on the Caribbean island on Tuesday night, the source said. It’s unclear when he’ll be brought back to New York.

Centeno already has four gun-possession convictions that date to 2003. He was arrested on March 27 inside a Bronx restaurant and accused of having a loaded, .45 caliber pistol stuck in his waistband.

At his arraignment, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office asked that bail be set at $100,000 cash or $300,000 bond due to Centeno’s history of violating probation and parole, a spokesperson said at the time.

Bronx Criminal Court Judge Valentina Morales denied the request and instead set Centeno free on the condition he report to the city Sheriff’s Office so officials could strap an electronic monitoring device around his ankle. Centeno never appeared.

Morales, who was appointed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, sparked controversy in November 2021 when she refused a prosecution request to set bail for a mentally ill homeless man who was busted three times in just 36 hours during an alleged theft and robbery spree.

New York City has become a hotbed for crime amid the soft-on-crime response.

On the July 4 weekend, over fifty people were shot, with attacks taking place at barbecues and bodegas.

And earlier this month, an aide to Mayor Eric Adams was allegedly robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn, New York.