STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An NYPD detective from Staten Island who was accused of possessing ghost guns in 2024 has been arrested again on a weapon charge, according to police.
Anthony Sciortino, 36, was off duty when he was apprehended on Thursday at about 8:25 a.m. in the 120th Precinct, according to a statement from the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
Sciortino was arraigned in state Supreme Court in St. George on Thursday on one count of attempted criminal purchase or disposal of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on his own recognizance. His next court date is Nov. 25, according to public records.
Public records indicate that the charge for his most recent arrest stems from an incident in 2021.
Past arrest for ghost guns
He was arraigned in Supreme Court on a 17-count indictment alleging unlawful acts as an active police officer dating back to 2020.
Following the execution of a search warrant on Sciortino’s residence, police uncovered a virtual armory of 50 firearms that included 19 unregistered rifles and handguns, four of which were illegal ghost guns that he manufactured, prosecutors allege.
The cache of guns 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 can be manufactured by anyone with the necessary technology which includes a 3D printer. They do not have serial numbers and are untraceable in a police investigation, raising concerns among government officials in the U.S.
13-year member of NYPD
Sciortino, a member of the NYPD since 2011, is a former member of Narcotics Bureau Staten Island.
He was on crutches when he appeared in court in November 2024 after suffering an on-the-job injury during a raid as a member of the NYPD. He was on paid leave because of his injuries when police searched his home.
Following his arrest last year, he was suspended without pay pending the ongoing investigation, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
Unauthorized access of records
In addition to the litany of gun charges, Sciortino was accused of using his access to NYPD records to illegally obtain information about an unnamed person “known to the grand jury.”
“On, or about March 24, 2023, with the intent to obtain a benefit and without authorization, [the defendant] used his position as a New York City Police Department employee to gain access to [NYPD] records of an individual … for a non-business purpose,” the indictment reads.
In May of 2023, Sciortino allegedly gained access to NYPD records of an individual “without authorization … and for a non-business purpose.”
Two years prior to that, prosecutors allege, he tampered with a police incident report by “making a false entry.”
D.A. statement
“Mr. Sciortino is alleged to have deceitfully amassed a small army’s worth of unregistered weapons in addition to personally manufacturing multiple unlicensed, unregistered, and untraceable ghost guns and assault weapons. Purposefully failing to report these firearms to the NYPD, these illegal and dangerous weapons could have exacted untold amounts of harm to our fellow Staten Islanders. As Mr. Sciortino knows well, ghost guns are illegal, are incredibly difficult to track by law enforcement 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 issued in November 2024.
“Furthermore, Mr. Sciortino used and abused the public trust and betrayed his sworn oath to protect and serve by falsifying line of duty incident reports and using his position as an NYPD Detective to access personnel records 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.
In November 2024, Sciortino faced multiple charges that included manufacturing of a machine gun, manufacturing of a rapid-fire modification device, computer trespass, falsifying business records, unauthorized use of a computer, official misconduct and tampering with public records.
The defendant’s cases from last year are still making their way through Supreme Court, according to public records.
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