South Carolina Criminal Lawyer Blog

Eight NYPD officers and one New Jersey corrections officer were arrested because they were running a gun-smuggling ring that trafficked more than $1 million in illegal weapons and stolen goods. The officers arrested include five active-duty officers assigned to Brooklyn and three retired NYPD officers. They were picked up by FBI agents and NYPD Internal Affairs investigators early Tuesday. The criminal complaint accuses several officers of smuggling M-16 rifles and weapons that had their serial numbers removed. Just last month, three of the officers smuggled the firearms from New Jersey to New York.

Of those arrested, several were accused of illegaly transporting other stolen goods such as machine guns, cigarettes and slot machines. 12 people have been charged with federal conspiracy counts which will be formally announced later this week. The arrests on Tuesday were based on charges that include conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines, conspiracy to transport defaced firearms across state lines, conspiracy to sell firearms across state lines and conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property across state lines. The alleged NYPD corruption arrests come as other officers could also be charged this week in a separate ticket-fixing investigation headed by the Bronx District Attorney's office. Officials have said more than a dozen NYPD officers could face charges, including some police union delegates.

In recent weeks, testimony at the trial of narcotics detective has featured accusations that he and his colleagues in Brooklyn and Queens planted drugs or lied under oath to meet arrest quotas and earn overtime, leading to the arrests of eight officers, the dismissal of hundreds of drug cases because of their destroyed credibility and the payout of more than $1 million in taxpayer funds to settle false arrest lawsuits. This gun-smuggling case did not begin as a sting, according to the four-count criminal complaint unsealed in the case, and indeed one of the officers, along with two co-defendants, sold a shotgun to an undercover F.B.I. agent. But as the investigation continued, it became a sting operation, with the undercover agent selling inoperable weapons, including the M-4 assault rifle, to the defendants. The defendants are expected to be arraigned today in United States District Court in Manhattan.

These people will need an experienced federal criminal lawyer to help them with their case. If you or someone you know is facing federal criminal charges, call one of our South Carolina federal criminal lawyers. Our criminal defense lawyers at The Mace Firm would like to speak with you about your case.

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The DEA brought Monzer al-Kassar to New York to face federal arms smuggling charges. Mr. al-Kassar is charged with helping several governments and revolutionary groups with weapons purchases over the past several decades. The Drug Enforcement Administration took the lead on this case even though this is normally under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacoo and Firearms (ATF). This would lead one to assume that the DEA was concerned with Mr. al-Kassar's possible shipment of weapons to Columbia to supply the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC). The United States Attorney has alleged that these illegal weapons sales would be used to kill American forces in Colombia. This is the growing example of the extreme power of the United States government. To arrest an individual who has never set foot on U.S. soil and who is not a U.S. Citizen and has not pledged to destroy the United States. The government has decided that any activity that could possibly be used against the United States or its law enforcement agencies is subject to a federal indictment and extradition from anywhere. Yet, a U.S. citizen arrested in a foreign country is at the mercy of that country and our government will tell the family that we must obey the laws of that country.

Criminal defense lawyers must be willing to fight for clients charged with firearms violations. Many times legitimate gun dealers are indicted because of procedural violations of the federal firearms laws. Improper stamping, improper documentation and simple clerical errors are interpreted as substantive law violations and prosecuted to the fulliest extent. The Port of Charleston is one of the largest Ports on the East Coast. The increased security since 9-11 has increased the number of investigations and federal indictments related to the Port of Charleston. Miami is also a very large Port with which several cases related to weapons and drugs are brought. If you are being investigated for firearms violations you need a firearms attorney (i.e. an attorney who knows the law and about weapons). We represent individuals and companies charged with firearms violations, including exporting and importing of guns and weapons.

Continue reading "International Arms Dealer Brought to New York" »