Four people have been convicted and sentenced in connection with a gun trafficking enterprise in Central New York that sold illicit firearms, including undetectable “ghost guns.” According to a news statement from New York Attorney General Letitia James, the defendants were part of a network that trafficked weapons, including 21 ghost pistols with no serial numbers, complicating efforts to track them.
The Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) conducted an investigation and worked with several New York State Police units to recover 34 firearms, as well as ammo and high-capacity magazines. Charged in April 2024, the group faced 35 counts over two distinct indictments. The guilty pleas include charges of felony possession of firearms, which can result in years of imprisonment. “Gun traffickers who flood our communities with illegal, untraceable ghost guns put all New Yorkers in danger,” James remarked in the news release.
The multi-agency activities that resulted in these convictions included law enforcement subpoenas, secret surveillance operations, and the employment of undercover operatives. The goal of these tactical actions was to disrupt the unregistered and untraceable firearms trafficking that had plagued the Syracuse area. These tactics are part of ongoing attempts to reduce gun violence in New York City and across the state.
Brian Lawson, Jeremy Baker, and Charles Baker were identified as the major participants in the case, selling firearms with no serial numbers and unregistered handguns around Onondaga County. They pleaded guilty in court to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. “This case is a testament to the results we can achieve when agencies work together to combat the flow of illegal weapons and dismantle violent trafficking networks,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James told the Attorney General’s office. Their punishments ranged from two and a half to six years in prison, followed by post-release monitoring and, in certain cases, loss of funds acquired from unlawful activities.
During the operation, detectives seized various weapons, including unfinished receivers, unserialized handguns, assault rifles, and high-capacity magazines. The inquiry was conducted by people like now-retired NYSP Investigator Todd Grant of the Community Stabilization Unit and OCTF Detective William Elsenbeck, who tried to stop the spread of ghost guns and other firearms in the area.
