Brooklyn duo charged with selling 30 firearms to undercover officers

A man and woman from East New York, Brooklyn were indicted Wednesday on charges of allegedly selling 30 firearms — including assault weapons — to undercover cops over the course of a year, according to authorities.

Ricardo Rivero, 34, and Constance Guity, 45, have been variously charged with criminal sale of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

According to prosecutors, during the course of a yearlong operation undercover police officers made multiple purchases of weapons near locations such as Wyona Street and Dumont Avenue, Dumont and Pennsylvania avenues and Dumont and New Jersey avenues, in East New York.

Beginning in January 2015 and going on through this January, the officers allegedly made the purchases from Rivero, who was accompanied by Guity on four occasion, authorities said. Guity allegedly carried the firearms in her handbag.

The two allegedly sold between one and four firearms during each sale, according to prosecutors.
Rivero is also charged with having cocaine on him during the time of his arrest and Guity — who resisted arrest — was charged with possessing crack cocaine when she was taken into custody.

“This investigation is another example of our unrelenting commitment to keep the people of Brooklyn safe by taking illegal guns off our streets,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said. “All of these guns, which included assault rifles and a sawed off shotgun, could have wreaked havoc in our communities.”

According to Thompson, the duo allegedly sold a variety of firearms including: .32 caliber Beretta pistol, .380 Bersa pistol, 12 gauge Stevens sawed off shotgun, .38 Colt revolver, 9mm Taurus pistol, 9mm Makarov pistol, 9mm Ruger LC9 pistol, 9mm Jimenez Arms pistol, .22 caliber Jennings Firearms pistol, .22 caliber Taurus pistol, .38 Colt revolver, 9mm Cobray Industries pistol, .380 Smith and Wesson pistol, .380 Keltec pistol, .32 Keltec pistol, .25 caliber Phoenix Arms pistol, .223 Riger mini-14 assault rifle, .22 caliber Chiappa Firearms pistol, Norinco SKS cut down assault rifle, Norinco SKS assault rifle, .22 Supershot revolver, .22 Smith and Wesson revolver, Saiga 7.62mm assault rifle, .22 caliber Tanfoglio revolver, defaced PT92 9mm Taurus pistol, 9mm Springfield Armory pistol, .40 Smith and Wesson Hi Point assault rifle, .380 Davis Industries pistol, .44 Taurus revolver, and .380 Cobra pistol.

“The NYPD is committed to rooting out those responsible for putting illegal guns on to the streets of New York City,” said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “Thirty firearms were seized in this investigation, preventing their use in future crimes and tragedies.”

Guity was arraigned Wednesday morning in Brooklyn Supreme Court and ordered held on $500,000 bail. Rivero is being held on $1 million bail after being arrested on a criminal complaint and will be arraigned on the indictment next week.