BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Genesee County man has admitted to illegally possessing machineguns, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Peter Celentano, 36, of Bergen, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to the charge of illegal possession of machineguns.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, on September 29, 2024, the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives executed a search warrant at Celentano’s residence in Bergen.
During the search, law enforcement recovered numerous items, including 3D printed pistol frames, firearm parts and accessories, ammunition reloading equipment, tools for constructing privately made firearms, a drill press, and two 3D printed machinegun conversion devices.
Law enforcement also conducted additional searches at properties in Lyndonville and Medina, NY, during which they seized numerous AR-style lower receivers, 3D printed handguns, and additional firearm parts and accessories. In total, law enforcement seized over 200 firearms tied to Celentano.
During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Celentano provided another individual with nine lower receivers, two of which contained the “third pin hole,” qualifying them as machineguns. An individual known by defendant had subsequently discarded these firearms off the Beals Road Bridge into the Erie Canal.
A New York State Police dive team searched the Erie Canal beneath the bridge in Medina, NY, and recovered a cardboard box containing 10 AR-style receivers, an unmarked handgun, ammunition magazines, and additional firearm parts.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Joseph M. Graff, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2025, before Judge Vilardo.
Related Federal Cases
- Federal Defendant Sentenced for Weapons Possession, New York NY, 1983 · Texas
- Robert Twiss Charged with Unlawful Rifle Possession, New York NY, 2023 · New York
- Justin Vazquez, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, New York 2015 · Georgia
- Alexander Rivera-Santiago, Federal Firearm Possession, New York 2016 · Kansas
- Eric Hubbard, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, New York 2024 · New York
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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