FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 13, 2024
Bushwick Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
for Illegal Possession of Ghost Guns
Defendant Assembled Arsenal of 13 Weapons Including AR-15 Style Rifles
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 10 years in for prison for assembling an arsenal of illegal and untraceable firearms known as ghost guns. The defendant was convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other related charges in April after authorities recovered 13 weapons from his Bushwick apartment, including assault weapons, handguns, and rifles.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Ghost guns are a threat to New Yorkers everywhere, and my Office is working tirelessly with our partners in law enforcement to stop their proliferation. Today’s sentence should send a message to anyone who, like this defendant, would try to evade critically important background checks and registration requirements to manufacture and stockpile these dangerous weapons. Every ghost gun we take off the street is a win for public safety.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Dexter Taylor, 53, of Bushwick, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abena Darkeh to 10 years in prison. He was convicted of two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; five counts of criminal possession of a firearm; unlawful possession of pistol ammunition; and prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers on April 16, 2024, following a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, following an investigation, members of the New York City Police Department identified Taylor as having ordered numerous ghost gun kits and component parts from various online retailers that were shipped to the defendant’s address on Eldert Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s apartment on April 6, 2022, and numerous items were recovered, including four AR-15 style assault weapons, five handguns, four rifles and over 50 rounds of ammunition in addition to gun powder, shell casings, triggers, a 3D printer, and various upper and lower receivers used to build firearms. The weapons were being stored in an unlocked safe as well as a closet.
According to evidence presented at trial, the defendant spent approximately $40,000 to obtain the ghost guns parts and tools. The defendant did not have a gun license.
The investigation was conducted by the New York City Police Department’s Major Case Field Intelligence Team and Detective Investigators from the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Omar Harding and Senior Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Visotzky, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Alfred De Ingeniis, VCE Bureau Chief.
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