Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Joseph A. Maddaloni Sr., 55, has been charged with 67 counts of criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes following a long-term investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Office. Recovered were a total of 42 illegal firearms including:  15 fully assembled ghost gun semiautomatic pistols; 23 commercially manufactured weapons, including semiautomatic pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles; two AR-15 ghost gun assault-style rifles, one of which was a fully automatic machine gun; two commercially manufactured AR-15 assault rifles; two silencers; 33 high-capacity magazines; and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

District Attorney Katz said, “The investigation and arrest are critical to our efforts to stop the proliferation of gun violence plaguing our communities. As alleged, the defendant possessed a deadly arsenal of weapons in his home – from personally manufactured ghost guns to commercially made firearms for which he did not have the legal right to possess. These illegal weapons must be kept off our streets and my Office will continue to work diligently to hold accountable those who choose to endanger our communities.”

Maddaloni, of 25^th Avenue in Whitestone, Queens, was arraigned on Friday evening before Queens Criminal Court Judge Diego Freire on a 140-count complaint charging him with criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree, 29 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, 37 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, two counts of make/transport/dispose/deface weapons and dangerous, 26 counts of criminal possession of a firearm, 26 counts of criminal possession of a firearm in the third degree, five counts of prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers, 13 counts of failure to obtain certificates of registration for numerous firearms, and unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition. Judge Freire ordered the defendant to return to Court on August 24, 2022.  If convicted, Maddaloni faces up to 25 years in prison.

District Attorney Katz said that, in May 2022, her newly formed Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit, along with the Queens District Attorney’s Detectives Bureau, initiated an investigation into individuals purchasing illegal firearm component parts by placing online orders with internet websites and marketplaces, shipping all the components necessary to manufacture illegal firearms directly to their doorstep.  Defendant Maddaloni, was soon identified as a major purchaser of illegal polymer-based unserialized firearm components which can be assembled into operable firearms with minimal effort, without serial numbers or the statutory requisite background checks, also known as “ghost guns.”

DA Katz continued, upon execution of a court-authorized search warrant at Maddaloni’s Whitestone, Queens residence, investigators allegedly observed an arsenal of firearms, ammunition, deadly firearm accessories, and other tools indicative of the illegal manufacture and possession of ghost guns.

According to the charges, the defendant maintains two permits allowing him to legally possess ten pistols, each specifically enumerated by serial number, as well as eleven rifles and shotguns, also specifically enumerated on the permit by serial number. However, Maddaloni allegedly purchased 25 additional commercially manufactured and serialized firearms, in addition to personally manufacturing 17 completed ghost guns – none of which are legally authorized under either of the defendant’s permits.

On Thursday, August 18, 2022, members of the District Attorney’s Detectives Bureau executed a Court-authorized search warrant and recovered the following:

• 15 fully assembled ghost gun pistols
• Two fully assembled AR-15 ghost gun assault rifles, including one fully automatic machine gun
• Two fully assembled AR-15 serialized assault rifles
• Nine commercially manufactured pistols
• Three 12-gauge shotguns
• 11 rifles
• Three firearm lower receivers
• Two AR-15 assault rifle lower receivers
• Two silencers
• 33 large capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition of various calibers
• Over 5,000 rounds of various caliber ammunition, including but not limited to 9mm, .22-caliber, .32-caliber, .380-caliber, and 7.65-caliber
• A handheld Dremel drill used to manufacture and/or assemble ghost guns
• Approximately $21,600 in US Currency

The investigation was conducted by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau assigned to the Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit, under the supervision of Lieutenant Janet Helgeson, and under the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives Thomas Conforti, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Lisa Cubair and Supervising Intelligence Analyst Jennifer Rudy, of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies and Intelligence Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Shanon LaCorte, Unit Director.

The prosecution is being conducted by Assistant District Attorney Kevin Timpone, of the Queens District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Sennett, Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave.