Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Police arrested a 39-year-old man and recovered a large stash of ghost guns and parts to make the untraceable firearms during a pre-dawn raid of a home in Graniteville.
The NYPD Bomb Squad was among the special units that responded to the home of Maksim Gonopolsky in the 1200 block of Richmond Avenue on Tuesday morning.
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The defendant was arraigned Tuesday on more than 70 counts of weapon-related offenses in an appearance before Justice Matthew Santamauro in state Criminal Court in St. George, according to the criminal complaint and public records.
Officers armed with a search warrant swarmed Gonopolsky’s home around 5 a.m., according to the criminal complaint stemming from an investigation by the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force.
The criminal complaint alleges that during the raid, officers seized 13 loaded ghost guns, including four classified as assault weapons. Police also confiscated components to make ghost guns, including 24 lower frames/receivers that did not have serial numbers.
Additional weaponry allegedly recovered by police included five high-capacity magazines, two silencers and an undisclosed amount of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.
The defendant “is not licensed as a gunsmith or dealer in firearms,” according to the criminal complaint.
The criminal complaint does not indicate that officers found any fireworks or explosive devices at the defendant’s home.
However, additional police units responded to a call of a suspicious package at the defendant’s home on Tuesday morning.
The Emergency Service Unit established a safe perimeter and no injuries were reported. The investigation continues, according to a police statement issued on Wednesday.
The defendant has been charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of an assault weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and an administrative code violation of possession of ammunition.
Gonopolsky has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held at Rikers Island in lieu of bail set at $1.5 million bond/$500,000 cash and is scheduled to appear in state Criminal Court in St. George on Aug. 7 , according to public records.
Attorney Mario Gallucci, who is representing Gonopolsky, defended his client.
“While the allegations may create a misleading impression, the evidence will show my client was not manufacturing explosives,” Gallucci said. “My client is a collector and a graphic designer, and we are conducting our own investigation.”
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