DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF JONATHAN SHAW ON ILLEGAL WEAPONS CHARGES

87 Illegal Weapons and More Than 2,800 Rounds of Ammunition Recovered from Defendant's Storage Locker

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment and arraignment of JONATHAN SHAW, 57, for illegally owning, storing, and attempting to transport dozens of weapons, including multiple loaded firearms, and large quantities of ammunition. The defendant was charged in an 89-count indictment with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree,[1] among other charges.

“The events of this past weekend remind us that gun violence continues to plague our nation. The defendant’s illegal weapons cache endangered workers and customers at the storage facility and in the entire community,” said District Attorney Vance. “This Office will aggressively pursue charges against illegal weapons owners and dealers, and seek out stockpiles of illegal weapons to get them off our streets.”

According to documents filed in court, on November 6, 2010, employees of First Global Express (“FGE”) met SHAW at a Manhattan Mini Storage facility at 220 South Street, having been contracted by the defendant to assist in shipping his personal property and items contained in the storage locker to his new address in Los Angeles, California. When FGE employees saw that the defendant had ammunition and firearms in his belongings, FGE contacted police.

Responding officers from the NYPD Firearms Investigation Unit removed the following from the defendant’s duffel bag: a Norinco AK-47 assault weapon loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition, a Mossberg 12 gauge pump-action pistol-grip shotgun, and a loaded .30 caliber semiautomatic rifle.

A search warrant was then obtained and executed, enabling law enforcement authorities, including investigators from the District Attorney’s Office’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, to search the remainder of the defendant’s shipment. According to documents filed in court, the following weapons were uncovered: a loaded British military rifle and an air rifle; more than 2,800 rounds of ammunition of various makes and calibers, including approximately 110 additional rounds of ammunition for the Norinco AK-47, shells of ammunition for the pump-action pistol-grip shotgun, rounds of ammunition for the .30 caliber semiautomatic rifle, and rounds of ammunition for several different handguns; a total of 83 knives, 68 of which are classified as illegal, including 66 switchblades and two gravity knives, two daggers, one bayonet, and other assorted knives; five sets of metal knuckles; eight expandable batons; two leather blackjacks; and five blank-firing handguns.

According to city records, SHAW has never owned a rifle permit or firearms license in New York. The investigation into this case is ongoing.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Prevost is handling the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Christopher Ryan, Chief of the Violent Criminal Enterprise Unit; Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division; and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division.



Defendant Information:

JONATHAN SHAW, D.O.B. 7/5/1953
New York, NY

Charges:

Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 3 counts
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 83 counts
Unlawful Possession of a Rifle, an Administrative Code misdemeanor, 1 count
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, an Administrative Code misdemeanor, 2 counts

A class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail, and these Administrative Code misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in jail.

[1] The charges contained in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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