Man Charged With 64 Felony Counts After Police Seize Over 1,000 Guns From Bel Air Mansion
A California man who allegedly built up a cache of more than 1,000 weapons in his Bel Air mansion has been charged with 64 felony counts, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Girard Damian Saenz, 58, amassed his collection of pistols and rifles between January 2016 and May 2019, authorities said in a statement Monday.
Saenz pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing, and he is currently out on $100,000 bail, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records show.
He was taken into custody in May after authorities received a tip of “an individual selling and manufacturing illegal firearms,” and conducted a search warrant on the 100 block of North Beverly Glen Boulevard in Bel Air, the LAPD confirmed to PEOPLE.
There, they discovered the massive arsenal of weapons, which included rifles, shotguns and handguns.
“We recovered over a thousand weapons of various makes, models and calibers,” Lt. Chris Ramirez told KTLA upon finding the cache of guns. “It’s just beyond comprehension that somebody can have so many weapons in a residence like this in a neighborhood like that.”
At the time, Saenz was reportedly booked on suspicion of unlawful transportation and giving, lending or selling an assault weapon, and was released on $50,000 bond.
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To obtain his weapons, Saenz used an “obscure” federal license meant for collectors of antique firearms, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The license reportedly allows collectors to buy historic or novel guns while bypassing state regulations such as the 10-day waiting period and the minimum 30-day span between purchases.
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The WSJ also reported that the ritzy home in which Saenz’s weapons were discovered is owned by Cynthia Beck, a real-estate investor who has three children with the billionaire son of late oil baron, J. Paul Getty.
Saenz is now facing 23 counts of possession of an assault weapon, 17 counts of transfer of handgun with no licensed firearms dealer, 15 counts of unlawful assault weapon/.50 BMG rifle activity, seven counts of possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun, and two counts of possession of a destructive device, according to the DA’s office. He faces a maximum sentence of 48 years, eight months in state prison if convicted.
Online records show he has a court date set for February 2020.
