Jurors convicted a Rockaway man Wednesday of felony weapons possession charges for purchasing a cache of assault weapons and ammo that he kept inside his apartment, prosecutors announced.
Charles Williams, 23, of Arverne was found guilty on Nov. 2 of second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana at the end of a five-day jury trial.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Williams was arrested on July 10, 2014 as a result of a court-authorized search of his apartment by members of the NYPD Queens Gang Unit.
During the raid, law enforcement sources said, officers found in a rear bedroom a loaded 7.62 mm assault rifle with a collapsible stock and an empty handgun magazine. They would also recover a black leather bag containing 18 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition and 11 rounds fitting the 7.62 mm assault rifle.
A second loaded assault rifle was also located by police inside a closet in the apartment; that weapon was capable of being fitted with a bayonet, prosecutors noted.
When he was questioned by police, Brown said, Williams admitted to buying the weapons online.
Williams faces up to 15 years behind bars when he is sentenced on Dec. 5.
