NYC man busted with “ghost gun” arsenal: Queens DA
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A Queens man who was ordering gun parts online is the latest New Yorker caught with an arsenal of so-called do-it-yourself “ghost guns,” prosecutors said Thursday.
Jonathan Santos, 30, drew the eye of police and prosecutors after buying firearm parts online, and on Monday, police surveilling his home spotted him putting long gun cases into the trunk of his truck, prosecutors said.
They pulled him over as he drove away from his home and seized seven completed semi-automatic ghost guns, two completed ghost assault rifles, another assault rifle, 25 high-capacity magazines and 500 rounds of ammo, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
Monday night, cops got a warrant to search his home, on 102nd St. at 90th Ave. in Richmond Hill, and found even more weapons, Katz said.
That stash included 21 firearms, including assault rifles, fully automatic machine guns, semi-automatic pistols, fully automatic pistols and shotguns, the DA said.
Investigators also found two modification devices to convert a semi-automatic pistol into a fully-automatic one, 110 high-capacity magazines, a short barrel rifle conversion kit, three silencers, 15,000 more bullets, and more components to build ghost guns.
Santos told police, “I will cooperate, please don’t knock down the door, my father has a heart condition,” according to a criminal complaint.
Though his dad is licensed to own four guns, Santos has no gun licenses, according to a criminal complaint.
Katz said police in Queens have conducted four ghost gun takedowns since August.
“I call it the ‘Polymer Pipeline’ because a crucial component of these ghost guns is made of a durable polymer plastic,” she said. “We have a clear message to those who think they can get away with bringing these gun parts into our borough: Think again.”
Santos, who was arraigned on a 252-count criminal complaint Wednesday, could face up to 30 years in prison if he’s convicted. He was ordered held without bail.
His lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Ghost guns are typically sold on the black market for $250 to $500. They do not have serial numbers, making it impossible for authorities to track the gun’s original buyer and seller.
Authorities and gun control advocates also worry that buyers can bypass criminal and mental illness background checks when they purchase gun parts separately.
