What to Know
- Four individuals were arrested in connection to a multi-state gun bust, New York City authorities announced Tuesday.
- The four individuals arrested have been charged for "their roles in a conspiracy to sell 80 illegal and deadly firearms over the course of 15 transactions to NYPD undercover officers," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said.
- The individuals accused have been indicted on 141 criminal counts, including conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Four individuals were arrested in connection to a multi-state gun bust, New York City authorities announced Tuesday.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance revealed the major gun takedown during a news conference in which they also showcased the arsenal of guns confiscated in this case.
The four individuals arrested have been charged for "their roles in a conspiracy to sell 80 illegal and deadly firearms over the course of 15 transactions to NYPD undercover officers," Vance said. The alleged weapons sales took place between Jan. 29 and Sept. 9.
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The individuals accused have been indicted on 141 criminal counts, including conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon.
"The top charge for these individuals is criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree...which carries a maximum potential sentence of 25 years in prison," Vance said.
Roberto Carmona, one of the accused, allegedly used his position as a doorman at a Midtown office building by storing ammunition in his work locker and selling multiple weapons in front of the building on West 55th Street, according to Vance, who called the accused "a one-man gun show." Carmona, 51, is also accused of selling guns outside his Morningside Heights residence. Prices ranged from $500 to $3,700 per firearm.
Local
Additionally, three Tennessee men are accused of supplying the Midtown doorman with the guns. The accused allegedly orchestrated the gun sales through text messages and phone calls and exchanged cash and digital payments.
Typically, according to prosecutors, Alan Goode, 30, and Melvyn McDonald, 41, purchased the weapons in Tennessee, and sold them to Harold Floran, 51, who would then meet up with Carmona in Virginia, Tennessee, or New Jersey to exchange the weapons.
Attorney information for the accused was not immediately known.
The charges come as the city reels from a flurry of gun violence that has taken over the streets in recent months, including a weekend of shootings involving teenagers. One of them, a 16-year-old girl who was at a Brooklyn playground with friends, remains in critical condition in a hospital after being shot in the head.
Police say she was not the intended target.
“New York City police officers risk their lives every day to prevent guns from getting into criminals’ hands because every shooting is a serious concern to the public and the police," Shea said. "With too many illegal guns already out there, it’s a great service that our NYPD investigators and prosecutors have performed in this case to ensure that these trafficked guns were taken out of commission before reaching our city streets.”
"Not even a global pandemic is stopping the flow of guns from southern states to New York City," Vance said, adding that gun laws -- if not at the federal level, then at the more local level -- need to change to combat weapons trafficking.
