Florida man charged with illegal shipment of firearms, ghost guns to Long Island, NYC, officials say

A Florida man faces 71 charges of illegally shipping firearms, ghost guns, high-capacity magazines and firearm accessories to New York after a three-month investigation found he advertised and mailed the items using encrypted messages.

Attorney General Letitia James and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Wednesday the indictment of Lawrence Destefano, 39, of Orlando, after an investigation recovered about 12 firearms, two ghost gun kits, 28 high-capacity magazines and more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition, which he allegedly mailed to locations in Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau County.

"Untraceable ghost guns put New Yorkers in danger and enable those who are barred from owning guns to obtain deadly weapons," James said in a statement. "Lawrence Destefano and his company Indie Guns are accused of flooding New York with illegal firearms, and we are determined to bring him to justice."

Destefano is charged with one count of fourth-degree conspiracy, two counts of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, 39 counts of third-degree criminal sale of a firearm, 28 counts of transport of weapons and dangerous instruments and appliances, and one count of second-degree criminal sale of a frame or receiver.

If convicted of the crime of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, a class B violent felony, Destefano, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, a statement said.

Between January and March 2025, a joint investigation found that Destefano, owner and operator of gun retailer Indie Guns, sold about 12 serialized firearms, one ghost gun kit, numerous high-capacity magazines, and over 1,300 of rounds of ammunition to an undercover police officer.

The investigation, which was a partnership between the attorney general’s Organized Crime Task Force, NYPD, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service, found Destefano also shipped at least two additional packages to New York that were intercepted by the postal service.

One package was shipped to an address in Nassau County and contained a complete ghost gun kit, the statement said. The other package, shipped to Brooklyn, contained 100 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and a high-capacity magazine, the statement said.

In addition to controlled firearms purchase operations, investigation included video surveillance, social media monitoring, and analysis of financial and telephone records.

Law enforcement found that Destefano marketed ghost gun components through his Indie Guns website and shipped ghost gun components, complete serialized firearms, high-capacity magazines and ammunition to addresses in New York and elsewhere, the statement said.

He also directed Indie Guns customers to use encrypted communication methods, such as Telegram Messenger, to discuss purchases and place orders to avoid detection from law enforcement, the statement said.

"This case is a stark reminder of the threat that untraceable ghost guns pose to New Yorkers, and the great lengths traffickers will go to evade law enforcement," Tisch said.