A veteran NYPD detective, Detective Third Grade Anthony Sciortino, aged 35, was apprehended this week for producing ghost guns and concealing “a small army’s worth” of unregistered firearms inside his Staten Island residence, as per prosecutors on Wednesday.
Sciortino, a 13-year NYPD veteran currently stationed at the department’s 120th Precinct, was taken into custody on Tuesday and faced a 16-count indictment that includes charges dating back to 2020, the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office revealed.
During a search of Sciortino’s home in Prince’s Bay, law enforcement officers discovered 19 illegal firearms, which included a machine gun and an assault weapon, prosecutors stated.
Out of the weapons found, four were untraceable ghost guns lacking serial numbers on their lower receivers, according to the DA’s office.
Additionally, Sciortino purportedly failed to report the make, model, caliber, and serial number of the other 15 guns to the NYPD within the required 10-day timeframe upon acquisition, officials disclosed.
“By intentionally neglecting to report these firearms to the NYPD, these illicit and perilous weapons could have caused extensive harm to our Staten Island residents,” stated District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a press release.
“As Mr. Sciortino is well aware, ghost guns are unlawful, extremely challenging for law enforcement to track when used in criminal activities, and have no place in Staten Island.”
Besides the weapons charges, Sciortino is accused of exploiting his position as an NYPD detective to access personnel records for unauthorized and nefarious purposes, as alleged by the DA.
The indictment lists charges against Sciortino, including the manufacture of weapons and dangerous instruments, failure to report firearm sales or registrations, falsifying business records, and computer trespass.
During his arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors sought a bail amount of $50,000 in cash or $150,000 bond, but Judge John McPadden granted Sciortino supervised release instead.
Records from the department indicate that Sciortino joined the NYPD in July 2011 and achieved the rank of detective in December 2017.
Following his arrest, Sciortino was suspended without pay, according to an NYPD spokesperson. His next court appearance is scheduled for January 16, as per records.
“While all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, Mr. Sciortino is alleged to have deceitfully amassed a small army’s worth of unregistered weapons, in addition to personally manufacturing multiple unlicensed, unregistered, and untraceable ghost guns and assault weapons,” McMahon remarked.
“In simple terms, this bold act of misconduct undermines the honorable mission of law enforcement, erodes the public’s trust in the justice system, and compromises the safety of those we are sworn to protect and serve.”
