Bushwick man gets 10 years for ghost gun arsenal that cost him $40,000

May 14, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

When police raided the Eldert Street home of Dexter Taylor, they found an array of illegal firearms, including four AR-15 style assault weapons, five handguns, four rifles and more than 50 rounds of ammunition, along with a 3D printer and numerous parts used to construct ghost guns. Screenshot via Google Street View

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A Bushwick resident has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found with an arsenal of 13 untraceable firearms, including AR-15-style rifles.

Dexter Taylor, 53, was hit with a 10-year sentence by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abena Darkeh for his role in assembling an arsenal of ghost guns — firearms built from kits that bypass traditional registration and background checks.

Taylor was convicted on multiple firearms charges following a jury trial. He was found guilty of two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, five counts of criminal possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of pistol ammunition, and violating the prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers.

“Ghost guns are a threat to New Yorkers everywhere, and my office is working tirelessly with our partners in law enforcement to stop their proliferation,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Today’s sentence should send a message to anyone who, like this defendant, would try to evade critically important background checks and registration requirements to manufacture and stockpile these dangerous weapons. Every ghost gun we take off the street is a win for public safety.”

Taylor’s illicit collection, discovered during an April 2022 raid on his Eldert Street residence, included four AR-15-style assault weapons, five handguns and four rifles, all amassed without the necessary licenses. The operation also netted over 50 rounds of ammunition, a 3D printer and assorted gun-building components.

Prosecutors said that Taylor had spent about $40,000 on parts and tools to construct the ghost guns.

Taylor claimed to be stockpiling his arsenal because the city reportedly had a “lot of problems with firearms,” he told reporters when he was arrested in 2022. “I am not part of the problem. People like me are not part of the problem,” he claimed.

In 2023, New York City experienced a 24.7% decrease in shootings and an 11.9% reduction in murders compared to the previous year, according to NYPD data.