NYPD detective charged in Staten Island ghost-gun shocker: 5 things to know

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – In a shocking development, an NYPD detective was arrested Tuesday evening after authorities said they seized ghost guns during a raid on his Prince’s Bay home.

Anthony Sciortino, 35, of the 200 block of Ashland Avenue, was arraigned Wednesday in State Supreme Court, St. George, on a 17-count indictment for unlawful conduct as an active police officer from 2020.

Here are five things you need to know about the case:

Weapons seized from home

After executing a search warrant at Sciortino’s home, police uncovered a virtual arsenal of 50 firearms, including 19 unregistered rifles and pistols, four of which were illegal ghost guns that he manufactured, prosecutors allege.

The cache of weapons seized from the property included an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15; Aero-precision M5; purple Glock 43; gray .45-caliber pistol and a Glock 17, authorities allege.

Ghost guns could be manufactured by anyone who has the necessary technology, including a 3D printer. They have no serial numbers and, it turns out, cannot be found in a police investigation concerns among government officials in the US.

13-year member of NYPD

Sciortino, a member of the NYPD since 2011, is a former member of the Staten Island Narcotics Bureau and a current third-degree detective with the 120th Precinct.

He appeared in court on crutches on Wednesday after suffering an on-the-job injury during a raid as a member of the NYPD and was on paid leave due to his injuries when police raided his home on Tuesday.

Following his arrest, he was suspended without pay pending the ongoing investigation, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Unauthorized access to records

In addition to the litany of gun charges, Sciortino is accused of using his access to NYPD records to illegally obtain information about an unnamed individual “known to the grand jury.”

“On or about March 24, 2023, (the defendant), with the intent to obtain benefits and without authorization, used his position as an employee of the New York City Police Department to access the (NYPD) records of an individual… for a non-business purpose,” the complaint reads.

In May 2023, Sciortino allegedly accessed an individual’s NYPD data “without consent… and for a non-business purpose.”

Two years earlier, prosecutors allege, he tampered with a police incident report by “falsely entering.”

DA statement

“Mr. Sciortino is alleged to have deceptively amassed a small army of unregistered weapons, in addition to personally manufacturing multiple unlicensed, unregistered and untraceable ghost and assault weapons. By deliberately not reporting these firearms to the NYPD, these illegal and dangerous weapons could have caused untold amounts of harm to our fellow Staten Islanders. As Mr. Sciortino well knows, ghost guns are illegal, incredibly difficult for law enforcement to detect when used in the commission of a crime, and have no place on Staten Island,” District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said in a press release . Wednesday.

“Additionally, Mr. Sciortino has used and abused the public trust and betrayed his sworn oath to protect and serve by falsifying duty incident reports and using his position as an NYPD detective to gain access to personnel files for unauthorized, unofficial and nefarious purposes.” he said.

“Simply put, this brazen act of misconduct undermines the noble mission of law enforcement, weakens the public’s trust in the criminal justice system, and makes those we are sworn to protect and serve less safe,” McMahon added.

Next hearing date

While it is unclear from court documents how law enforcement became aware of the weapons in his home and the details of how the investigation developed, Sciortino is facing charges including:

Manufacture of a machine gun, manufacture of a rapid-fire modification device, computer trespass, falsification of business records, unauthorized use of a computer, official misconduct and tampering with public records.

And while prosecutors requested bail of $50,000 cash or $150,000 surety, the court granted Sciortino supervised release and the case was postponed until January 16.