Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Judd Sanson has been indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on charges of criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes after a traffic stop in East Elmhurst near LaGuardia Airport led to the discovery of an arsenal of weapons along with body armor inside his vehicle. An NYPD patch and an MTA vest were also recovered. Sanson was pulled over on June 12 for having a covering over his license plate.

District Attorney Katz said: “The borough of Queens has two major airports and must always be kept safe. When a person is pulled over and police recover a baton with inciteful language written on it, a loaded weapon, ammunition and NYPD paraphernalia, we are very concerned. The items recovered from this defendant’s car presented an inherent and serious threat to public safety.  My office has now secured a grand jury indictment against the defendant and we will continue our investigation into this matter alongside our partners in the NYPD.”

Sanson, 27, of Jamaica Avenue in Hollis, was arraigned today on a 20-count indictment charging him with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four  counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; 10 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; unlawful possession of pistol ammunition; unlawful use of police uniform or emblem; and two counts of operating, driving or parking a motor vehicle without proper license plates.

Sanson faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Supreme Court Judge Edwin Novillo ordered the defendant to return to court July 22.

According to the charges:

• On June 12, at approximately 1:25 a.m., Sanson was observed at 86^th Street and 23^rd Avenue in East Elmhurst driving a black 2013 Ford Explorer with a black film covering the rear license plate. He was stopped by an NYPD officer who, when he approached the car, saw a black handle protruding from a holster that was strapped to Sanson’s right pants leg.
• Sanson was asked if he had a knife, and he removed a black knife with a black handle from the holster and placed it near the center console of the vehicle.
• Police observed and recovered a black Glock semiautomatic 9 mm pistol loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition from inside a holster which was under the driver’s seat.
• Also recovered were nine loaded magazines, each capable of being loaded into a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, and 127 rounds of 9 mm ammunition from inside a bag on the rear passenger seat.
• Of the nine magazines, four were large capacity feeding devices.
• Also recovered were:
  • 40 loose 9 mm rounds of ammunition from inside a plastic case in the car’s trunk.
  • A black baton with a silver-colored blade taped to the end of the baton which was hanging from the ceiling of the left side of the car.
  • A black whip hanging from the ceiling of the right side of the car
  • A set of silver-colored handcuffs hanging from the ceiling of the middle of the car
  • A black expandable baton with the words “Left Me No Choice,” “You Gon Learn Today” and an Arabic expression that means, “Ask In God For Forgiveness”
  • A Sabre S-1009 stun gun inside a bag on the rear left passenger seat
  • A black machete inside a bag on the rear left passenger seat
  • One black and silver-colored switch blade knife in a bag on the rear passenger seat
  • One black and silver-colored butterfly knife in a bag on the rear passenger seat
  • A black colored knife in a bag on the rear passenger seat
  • A silver-colored hatchet with a black handle from a bag on the rear passenger seat
  • A body armor vest with an NYPD patch inside a pouch on the front of the vest

Assistant District Attorney Dylan Nesturrick of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crime Bureau is prosecuting the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief, Roni Piplani, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Major Crimes Shawn Clark.