NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An indictment against a 35-year-old Connecticut man charged for trafficking ghost guns into New York City was unsealed by a Manhattan federal court on Thursday.
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Between 2019 and January 2022, Melvin Burroughs was buying the component parts for guns online or at gun shows, assembling them at home and then selling them on the streets, according to police.
“The defendant — a convicted felon — was in the business of building and selling untraceable ‘ghost guns,’” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “ Thanks to our law enforcement partners, his dangerous ghost gun business has been shut down.”
On March 14, 2021, Burroughs shot at two men who approached his house in Ansonia, Connecticut.
The Ansonia Police Department searched his house the next day and found ghost guns, a stolen pistol and a custom-made red and black assault rifle with the words “SUU WHOOP” inscribed on it.
The gun was themed after the Bloods, a notorious gang.
Red is the color associated with the Bloods and “suu whoop” is a gang call.
Cops also found ammunition, gun parts and a flamethrower in the house.
He was charged with firearms offenses in Connecticut for the shooting.
On January 8, 2022, Burroughs was again arrested in Westchester with enough components to build 17 ghost guns, ammunition and gun accessories.
After his arrest, police searched his phone records and found evidence he was selling the weapons.
If convicted, he faces 15 years in prison for conspiring to traffic firearms, trafficking firearms and being a felon in possession of ammunition. That would be in addition to any sentences he might receive from a conviction for the shooting in Connecticut.
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