Deputy mayor found with weapons stash and fake FBI badges, police say
Early morning raid came after a tip to Homeland Security
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The deputy mayor of a town in New York State was allegedly found to have a trove of weapons and fraudulent law enforcement credentials in a basement "gun room".
Brian Downey, deputy mayor of Airmont, about 30 miles north of Manhattan on the border with New Jersey, is facing state and federal firearm charges after police said they were tipped off to the purchase of a rifle suppressor purchased online.
Mr Downey had more than a dozen firearms, including some unregistered, mounted on the basement wall according, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday.
He also “possessed badges, identification cards, and other insignia, of the design prescribed by the head of a department or agency of the United States for use by officers or employees thereof", prosecutors alleged.
Investigators said they found at least 16 unregistered assault weapons and 13 illegal silencers, while the various credentials - including "four FBI patches that could be sewn onto a uniform or chest” - were alleged to be in a locked box in the house.
They included metallic badges and holders for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh said in a statement that the arrest followed a tip to the Department of Homeland Security that the "illegal device" was delivered to Mr Downey’s home.
“[The] arrest of an individual who was entrusted by the public to serve his community is a sad day for our county,” Mr Walsh said.
“I pledged during my campaign that if elected, that I would be a district attorney that would act without fear or favour. Today’s arrest is another example of my commitment to the citizens of Rockland County.”
Mr Downey, a building inspector and part-time court officer, was first elected as deputy mayor in 2019, according to the Journal News.