DA Rocah Gets Indictment; Multi-agency investigation led to four arrests in Yonkers
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced the indictment of four individuals who were arrested in June as a result of a multi-agency investigation into the trafficking of illegal firearms from Washington to Westchester between April and June 2022. In addition to the arrests, authorities seized 31 ghost guns (as well as two conventional firearms) that were allegedly assembled and purchased in Washington, D.C. before being transported to Yonkers for sale between April 28, 2022 and June 24, 2022.
“This case is just one example of my gun safety initiative in action: conducting proactive investigations to remove illegal weapons like ghost guns from our streets and prosecute gun traffickers,” DA Rocah said. “I’m grateful to the Yonkers Police Department and numerous state, local and federal law enforcement partners who are on the frontlines with us every day in the fight against gun violence and gun trafficking to keep Westchester safe.
The joint investigation—launched by the Yonkers Police Department’s Narcotics Unit in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Agency Group D43, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office—focused on the interstate trafficking of “ghost guns,” partially finished, untraceable and fully-functioning illegal firearms that can be easily assembled at home with parts purchased online and designed to evade certain gun laws.
As alleged in the indictment, Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz, 27, of Yonkers, Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz, 21, of Yonkers, and Netaly A. Pena-Camilo, 25, of Washington, D.C. conspired to transport firearms from Washington, D.C. between April 28, 2022, and June 24, 2022, for the purposes of selling them in Yonkers. Pena-Camilo was allegedly in possession of the firearms and responsible for transporting them across state lines to sell them in Westchester County.
Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz, Pena-Camilo and Idanis Lora-Espinal were arraigned on August 4, 2022, and Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz was arraigned on August 8, 2022, in Westchester County Court. The District Attorney’s Office requested that Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz and Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz be held without bail, or in the alternative, on $500,000 cash bail. The District Attorney also requested that Pena-Camilo be held without bail, or in the alternative on $1 million cash bail. Bail was set by various Westchester County judges as follows: Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz $50,000 cash bail, Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz $200,000 cash bail and Pena-Camilo $150,000 cash bail. Lora-Espinal is being held on $5,000 cash bail.
On June 24, 2022, Yonkers Police and the DEA arrested Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz, Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz, and Idanis Lora-Espinal, 30, of Washington, D.C. Pena-Camilo, was apprehended in Washington, D.C. on June 29, 2022 by members of the investigative team, with the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
A Westchester County Grand Jury indicted the defendants on the following felony charges:
· Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz was charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, two counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, seven counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree, 11 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree.
· Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz was charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, three counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, 11 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree.
· Pena-Camilo was charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, two counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, six counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree, 11 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree.
· Lora-Espinal was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the First Degree.
The case is before Judge George Fufidio in Westchester County Court, and is being prosecuted by the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau of the Trials and Investigations Division. The defendants are scheduled to appear again in court on October 27, 2022.
The charges against the defendants are merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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