Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis pleaded guilty to possession of explosive substances, assault weapons and other charges after an arsenal of improvised explosive devices, ghost guns and 3D-printed weapons was found inside an Astoria apartment they shared with their mother and another brother. Instructions for making a variety of bombs, anarchist propaganda and a “hit list” were also found during the court-authorized search in January 2024.

District Attorney Katz said: “These defendants possessed untraceable weapons and improvised bombs capable of causing untold harm. Thanks to the proactive investigative work of my Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau, lives were saved. I express my gratitude to our partners in the NYPD, Homeland Security and State Police for helping to bring these defendants to justice.”

Andrew Hatziagelis, 41, and Angelo Hatziagelis, 52, both of 36^th Avenue in Astoria, pleaded guilty today before Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and manufacture, transport, disposition and defacement of weapons. Andrew additionally pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree with intent to use unlawfully.

Judge Cimino set the defendants’ next court date for June 2, at which point Andrew is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison and Angelo is expected to be sentenced to four years in prison, each to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.

DA Katz said that, according to the charges, members of the Queens District Attorney’s Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau launched an investigation into the purchase of firearm component parts and the manufacture of ghost guns by the defendants dating back to September 2020.

Members of the NYPD joined the investigation to assist in the collection of additional data and a search warrant was secured.

On January 17, 2024, members of the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, Homeland Security and the State Police executed a search warrant at the brothers’ residence on 36^th Avenue in Astoria, resulting in their arrests and the seizure of operational improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a partially constructed trip-wire IED, two loaded AR-15 style ghost guns, 9 mm ghost gun pistols, 9 mm 3D-printed ghost gun pistols, over 600 rounds of ammunition for each of the firearms, body armor, high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, metal knuckles, a radio set to the frequency of the 114^th Precinct, nine pyrotechnic smoke bombs, a 3D printer and numerous notebooks containing instructions on the manufacture of explosive devices and anarchist related propaganda.  A “hit list,” with “cops, judges, politicians, celebrities” and “banker scum” scrawled on it was also found.

Upon execution of the search warrant at the apartment complex, members of the NYPD Bomb Squad were called to respond and subsequently evacuated the building due to the discovery of the live IEDs.

The investigation was conducted by members of the District Attorney’s Detectives Bureau with NYPD Major Case Field Intelligence Detectives Mike Billotto, Victor Cardona, Paul Molinaro, John Schultz, Christopher Thomas, John Uske and Sergeant Christopher Schmitt, under the supervision of Sergeants Bogdan Tabor, Captain Christian Jara and Captain Daniel Spaeth, and under the overall supervision of Deputy Chief Courtney Nilan. NYPD Bomb Squad members Lieutenant Mark Torre, Sergeant Ryan Doherty, Detective Michael O’Neill, and Detective Christopher Toal provided invaluable assistance during the execution of the search warrant.

The District Attorney also thanks members of the Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, United States Postal Inspector, and Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in this case.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Bello, of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau, is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Intelligence Analysts Bushra Ahmed, Kathryn Isaac, and Supervising Intelligence Analyst Victoria Filipe, under the joint supervision of Assistant District Attorney Shanon LaCorte, Bureau Chief along with Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Sennett, Bureau Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau; under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Investigations Gerard Brave.