Veteran NYPD detective accused of hiding ‘small army’s worth’ of weapons in his home, creating ghost guns

A veteran NYPD detective was arrested this week on charges of creating ghost guns and hiding “a small army’s worth” of unregistered weapons inside his Staten Island home, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Date. Third Grade Anthony Sciortino, 35 — a 13-year veteran now assigned to the department’s 120th Precinct — was arrested Tuesday and arraigned on a 16-count indictment with charges dating back to 2020, the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office said. Was carried out.

According to prosecutors, during a raid on Sciortino’s Prince’s Bay home, officers found 19 illegal firearms – including a machine gun and an assault weapon.

The DA’s office said four of the weapons were unidentified ghost guns that did not have serial numbers on their lower receivers.

Sciortino allegedly did not report the make, model, caliber and serial numbers of the other 15 guns to the NYPD within 10 days of acquiring them — which is required by law, authorities said.

“By knowingly failing to report these firearms to the NYPD, these illegal and dangerous weapons could have caused untold harm to our fellow Staten Islanders,” District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said in a statement.

“As Mr. Sciortino well knows, ghost guns are illegal, incredibly difficult to track by law enforcement when used in the commission of a crime, and they have no place on Staten Island.”

The DA alleged that Sciortino allegedly used his position as an NYPD detective to access personnel records for “unauthorized, unofficial, and nefarious purposes.”

Sciortino faces rap including manufacturing weapons and dangerous equipment; failure to report firearm sales or registrations; Falsifying business records; and computer trespassing, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors requested he be held on $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond at his arraignment Wednesday — but Judge John McPadden instead granted him supervised release.

Department records show Sciortino joined the NYPD in July 2011 and was promoted to detective in December 2017.

An NYPD spokesperson said he was suspended without pay following his arrest. He is due back in court on Jan. 16, records show.

McMahon said, “While all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, Mr. Sciortino is accused of personally manufacturing numerous unlicensed, unregistered and untraceable ghost guns and assault weapons, in addition to fraudulently carrying out a small Accused of stockpiling unregistered weapons fit for the army.”

“Simply put, this brazen act of misconduct undermines the noble mission of law enforcement, undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system, and makes less safe the people we are sworn to protect and serve.” Have taken.”