A former FBI agent from Queens Village is criminally charged with possessing an arsenal of illegal ghost guns and a stockpile of ammunition after law enforcement raided his home and a storage unit in Port Washington, L.I.
Scott Chiang, 53, was arraigned Friday in Queens Criminal Court on a 242-count criminal complaint after the searches at the two locations uncovered 18 illegal firearms, including eight ghost guns and six assault weapons, as well as high-capacity magazines, ammo and gun manufacturing tools.
The former FBI agent, who is currently an EMT and head of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York, is facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that, according to the charges, members of her Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau conducted a long-term investigation into Chiang’s online purchases of polymer-based, unserialized firearm components, which can easily be assembled into untraceable operable firearms. The possession of ghost guns and ghost gun parts is illegal in the state of New York.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, officers from the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau executed a court-authorized search warrant of Chiang’s Queens Village residence where they recovered five loaded and fully assembled ghost gun pistols; one loaded serialized Sig Sauer p226 pistol; a loaded serialized Remington 700 hunting rifle; and an MP5 assault weapon with ability to accept a detachable magazine, a threaded barrel and a pistol grip.
Also seized were 1,000 rounds of various caliber ammo, a U.S. passport bearing the name “Scott Chiang” and a Republic of China passport bearing the name “Scott Chiang.”
While the search warrant was executed, a postal carrier delivered a package to Chiang’s home, addressed to him, containing a complete Glock pistol slide and barrel.
Katz added that an additional court-authorized search warrant was executed on Oct. 10 at Chiang’s Port Washington storage unit, where four loaded and fully assembled assault rifles were recovered along with a loaded and fully assembled AR-15-style ghost gun assault rifle; two loaded ghost gun pistols; and three loaded 12-gauge shotguns.
Also seized were 900 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 127 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, and one suppressor. Investigators also found a receipt from Joe Bob Outfitters for an upper receiver bearing the defendant’s name, phone number, email address, and a Port Washington P.O. Box belonging to Chiang.
“Individuals who choose to stockpile lethal, illegal firearms in Queens need to think again,” Katz said. “Ghost guns cause unspeakable tragedy, and my office will continue to meticulously go after illegal firearms and those who manufacture and use them.”
Including the Chiang takedown, 151 ghost guns have been seized in Queens so far this year, more than in any other borough, according to the DA’s office. The office added that successful investigations and prosecutions of several ghost gun manufacturers and traffickers have resulted in Queens leading all of New York City in the total number of ghost gun recoveries since 2021.
“Thanks to the work of my Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau, the seized weapons allegedly purchased and assembled by this defendant — including six assault weapons — will not be used to cause damage and heartbreak in our communities,” Katz said.
A check conducted of the License and Permit Systems database revealed that Chiang does not hold a license to possess or own firearms in New York City, despite having previously worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Division, from April 2004 until November 2005.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Germaine Auguste remanded Chiang into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on Oct. 31. If convicted, Chiang faces up to two-and-a-half decades in prison.
