Police seized two dozen firearms, drugs on Hazel St. Binghamton man pleads to gun charge.

Anthony Borrelli, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
·2 min read

Update: Binghamton man gets 4 years in prison following 2020 raid that yielded 24 guns and drugs

A Binghamton man who was arrested in September 2020 after two dozen firearms were seized from his home along with drugs has pleaded guilty and in exchange, will spend four years in prison.

Christopher Harmatuk, 39, admitted in Broome County Court to a felony count of attempted second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

After the arrest at a Hazel Street residence, Binghamton law enforcement officials described the investigation as ranking among the largest seizures of weapons in Broome County within recent years.

About a dozen members of the Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force carried out the search and arrest Sept. 17, 2020 as part of a drug trafficking case.

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Investigators seized the following during the Hazel Street search that led to Harmatuk's arrest:

  • 5 revolvers of various makes, models and calibers.

  • 3 assault weapons: AK-47, AR-15 and a 9mm assault rifle.

  • 2 sawed-off shotguns.

  • 14 shotguns and rifles of various makes, models, calibers.

  • 12 high capacity magazines.

  • Approximately 21 grams of methamphetamine.

  • Heroin and fentanyl in small amounts.

Two dozen firearms were seized at a Hazel Street residence in Binghamton, law enforcement officials announced at a news conference Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 at City Hall.
Two dozen firearms were seized at a Hazel Street residence in Binghamton, law enforcement officials announced at a news conference Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 at City Hall.

The firearms were scattered throughout the single-family residence and the search took several hours for investigators to complete. Police said Harmatuk, due to being a previously convicted felon, was prohibited by law from owning firearms.

Some of the guns seized in the arrest were otherwise legal to possess, police said, and initial inquiries showed none of the weapons had been reported stolen.

Harmatuk is scheduled to be sentenced in February, and following the prison term, he will spend five years on supervised release.

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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton gun bust: Man pleads guilty in Hazel Street investigation