NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens man was arrested and charged with 67 weapons possession counts after investigators found an arsenal of illegal weapons in his home, District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
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The 55-year-old, Joseph A. Maddaloni Sr., had been under investigation for months following the implementation of the D.A. 's new Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit which aims to crack down on people purchasing illegal firearm component parts online. Maddaloni was quickly identified as a major purchaser of the components used to make ghost guns, officials said.
“The investigation and arrest are critical to our efforts to stop the proliferation of gun violence plaguing our communities,” Katz said. “As alleged, the defendant possessed a deadly arsenal of weapons in his home – from personally manufactured ghost guns to commercially made firearms for which he did not have the legal right to possess. These illegal weapons must be kept off our streets and my Office will continue to work diligently to hold accountable those who choose to endanger our communities.”
On Thursday, cops searched Maddaloni’s home where they found: 15 fully assembled ghost gun pistols, two fully assembled AR-15 ghost gun assault rifles, including one fully automatic machine gun, two fully assembled AR-15 serialized assault rifles, nine commercially manufactured pistols, three 12-gauge shotguns, 11 rifles, three firearm lower receivers, two AR-15 assault rifle lower receivers, two silencers, 33 large capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition of various calibers, over 5,000 rounds of various caliber ammunition, including but not limited to 9mm, .22-caliber, .32-caliber, .380-caliber, and 7.65-caliber, a handheld Dremel drill used to manufacture and/or assemble ghost guns and about $21,600 in cash, court documents show.
Maddaloni has two permits which allow him to legally possess ten pistols, each with a specific serial number, as well as eleven rifles and shotguns, also with specific serial number. Despite his permits, Maddaloni bought 25 more commercially manufactured and serialized firearms, in addition to making 17 completed ghost guns, none of which he was allowed to have under his permits.
Maddaloni is charged with multiple offenses totaling 140-counts of various charges including 67 counts of criminal possession of a weapon and 13 counts of failure to obtain certificates of registration for numerous firearms. He is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday. If convicted, Maddaloni faces up to 25 years in prison.
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