FBI arrests Dobbs Ferry man with arsenal two decades after weapon-cache conviction
A Dobbs Ferry gun enthusiast who served prison time two decades ago for amassing a small arsenal of weapons in his parents' home is facing federal charges after dozens of guns and material for explosive devices were again found there and in storage units he rented in Mount Vernon and Pennsylvania.
James Neff, 61, was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of a weapon and ammunition following a felony conviction after search warrants were executed at the three locations.
Ammunition was found in Dobbs Ferry and Mount Vernon and 31 guns, books on how to make explosive devices and materials for homemade explosive devices including grenade bodies and a pipe and cardboard containers with endcaps were found in the storage unit in East Stroudsburg, Pa., according to a criminal complaint by Westchester County police Sgt. Brandon Amlung, a member of the FBI Westchester Safe Streets Task Force.
The weapons included several apparent personally manufactured, or 'ghost', guns, assault rifles, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol and a .32 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver.
Neff acknowledged ownership of the seized items and said he had moved most of it from his home and the Mount Vernon storage unit to Pennsylvania in November, according to Amlung.
He appeared Thursday in White Plains federal court but it was not immediately clear whether he was released or the identity of his lawyer.
The arrest was announced by U.S. Attorney Damian Williams and James Smith, FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New York field office, and Williams said the investigation was ongoing. No details were provided as to what prompted the investigation of Neff.
"There is no reasonable explanation to justify the arsenal law enforcement discovered, and convicted felons with access to such armaments pose an incredible threat to public safety," Smith said in a statement.
Neff's first arrest in September 2000 came after Dobbs Ferry police investigated a break-in at the family's Myrtle Avenue home. An officer initially spotted two assault rifles and a subsequent search yielded more than 150 weapons, ammunition and bomb-making material.
He pleaded guilty the following year to first-degree criminal possession of a dangerous weapon and was sentenced in March 2002 to the minimum 5-year prison term. Then-State Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosato, who was supervisor of criminal courts in the 9th Judicial District, expressed sympathy for Neff, calling him "a victim of the times" who had taken a hobby to "an extreme degree." He did not think Neff was a danger to anyone and said he would urge state correction officials to release Neff at the earliest possible opportunity.
Whether or not the judge ever did that, Neff was released from state prison in December 2004.
At the time of his first arrest, Neff worked as a machinist. He was a former president of the Northern Westchester Rifle Association, ran its high-powered rifle team and regularly competed in shooting competitions. He also volunteered as a rifle instructor for the Boy Scouts of America's Venturing Program.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Dobbs Ferry NY man had dozens of guns despite prior conviction: Feds
