He wasn’t a cop, but a Rosedale man arrested on Thursday had enough firepower and gear to play the role, police said.
Kevin Nugent, 40, was arrested on May 31 following a court-ordered search of his 254th Street home linked to an ongoing police investigation into drug-related activity.
This isn’t Nugent’s first run-in with the law, sources familiar with the investigation said, as he was picked up just last year for criminal impersonation. His rap sheet also includes arrests for petit larceny in 2012, two robbery counts in 2013 and an attempted robbery in 2014.
Following his criminal impersonation arrest last December, according to court records, Nugent had been released on $10,000 bond; another court hearing on that case is set for June 19.
Regarding Thursday’s raid, law enforcement sources said members of the NYPD Queens South Narcotics Division and Major Case Squad developed information that led them to obtain and execute a search warrant of Nugent’s residence at 2:20 p.m. that day.
During the search, police found a loaded .380 Ruger handgun and a loaded Mossberg shotgun, along with 370 cartridges of ammunition.
They also located and recovered two ballistic vests and identification cards that NYPD officers typically use and two fake police identities. One of the vests had the letters FBI on the front, while a shirt labeled “NYPD Counter Terrorism” was also recovered.
Police also found in Nugent’s home 41 methadone pills and $2,230 in cash.
Nugent faces charges of criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of a controlled substance and violation of a local law. At his arraignment on June 1, he was ordered held on $75,000 and must return to court on June 9 on the matter.
“Illegal firearms have no place in our communities. This defendant is accused of possessing guns, live ammunition and police gear – that when worn would have convinced most civilians that he was a member of law enforcement,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. “These deadly weapons and other items have been seized to protect anyone from harm and the defendant now faces a lengthy term of incarceration.”
This story was updated on June 1 at 4:40 p.m.
