Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Westbury man was arraigned today on a 61-count indictment for selling more than a dozen illegal firearms, including rifles and pistols, between October 2020 and January 2022. The defendant fled Nassau County in early 2022 and was arrested in Pennsylvania and extradited this week.
Gerald Pierre, 40, was arraigned today before Judge Howard Sturim on charges including one count of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree (a B violent felony); one count of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree (a C violent felony); 28 counts of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree (a D violent felony); 13 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony); four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree ( a D violent felony); and 14 counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (an E felony). The defendant was remanded and is due back in court on April 26, 2023. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years in prison.
“This defendant allegedly sold more than a dozen dangerous illegal guns in Nassau County and fled,” said DA Donnelly. “Gerald Pierre could not outrun justice, and just over a year later, he has been charged for his alleged crimes and faces decades in prison. NCDA and its partners at the Nassau County Police Department will continue to investigate every lead to take down firearms dealers in Nassau County and stop these deadly weapons from reaching our streets, no matter how long it takes.”
DA Donnelly said, according to the charges, on nine separate dates between October 2020 and January 2022, the defendant sold a total of 14 illegal firearms, including semi-automatic rifles, assault weapons, revolvers, and pistols. Seven of those firearm sales took place in Westbury, one in Uniondale and another in Hempstead. Nearly all the firearms were loaded or sold with accompanying ammunition, and many were sold with large-capacity magazines that could hold up to 60 rounds of ammunition.
In February 2022, the defendant fled Nassau County and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On January 10, 2023, the defendant was arrested by Amtrak Police near Philadelphia for an unrelated matter, and it was discovered that the defendant had an open arrest warrant in New York. The defendant was extradited to Nassau County on March 29, 2023.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Brian Rodriguez of the Narcotics, Firearms and Gangs Bureau. The defendant is represented by David Haber, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
