Stony Point man charged with possessing an untraceable gun after undercover probe, DA says
STONY POINT — A 42-year-old man faces felony charges of possessing an untraceable gun without serial numbers after being accused of selling the weapon to an undercover county police officer.
Robert Muntz has been charged with one count each of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal sale of a firearm, according to the Rockland District Attorney's Office.
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Undercover operation leads to arrest
The felony counts resulted from Muntz's arrest by the Rockland Drug Task Force, a unit under the District Attorney's Office.
Muntz is accused of possessing a .9mm pistol and selling the unserialized weapon to a unit undercover officer in October. He is not a registered firearms dealer and is not authorized to sell the pistol, the District Attorney's Office said in a news release on Tuesday.
The weapon sold was a "ghost gun," an unserialized and untraceable firearm that can be purchased and assembled at home, the District Attorney's Office said. Those weapons are often sold in kits, which include the equipment needed to build a functioning weapon.
Muntz was arraigned on Monday by Haverstraw Town Justice Ivonne Santos, who set bail at $10,000. He was released for a scheduled Justice Court appearance on Feb. 9. If a grand jury indicts Muntz, his case is moved to County Court in New City.
No details were provided on the reasons for the length of time between the sale and arrest.
Haverstraw police officers and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Group D43 took part in an investigation that led to the arrest, the District Attorney's Office said.
Rockland District Attorney Thomas Walsh said officers are focused on removing illegal guns and drugs. Violence and drugs usually go hand-in-hand and police across Rockland have dealt with reported gunfire on their streets.
Authorities crack down on ghost guns
Four Rockland residents were arrested in February 2022 on charges of possessing ghost guns - three handguns and 10 assault rifles, all illegal in New York. The charges resulted from a multi-agency investigation, overseen by the District Attorney's Office Special Investigative Unit.
A Haverstraw man was arrested in May as part of an investigation into the mailing of ghost gun parts through the U.S. Postal Service. Authorities executed a search warrant on April 27 at a Rosman Road home, seizing two loaded AR-15s without serial numbers, loaded magazines of .223 and .308 caliber ammunition and the ghost gun parts.
“Day and night, members of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force are out in the community working tirelessly to identify and arrest individuals selling drugs and guns," Walsh said in a statement.
"My office is dedicated to holding any individual accountable for their actions that endanger the residents of Rockland County," he said.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland Drug Task Force undercover operation leads to gun sale arrest
