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Rockland County residents Tao Zhang, age 35, and Vivian Wu, age 35, both of Nanuet, were charged on Tuesday, July 2, following an ongoing investigation into illegal firearms in the county.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh said the investigation began in May after his office received information regarding an illegal firearm component being shipped to Nanuet.
The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit Detectives, who are cross-sworn as Federal Task Force Officers with the US Department of Homeland Security, launched an investigation into the intended recipients of the item, according to Scott Waters of the DA's Office.
The investigation found that numerous illegal firearm parts had been shipped to a home in Nanuet, Waters said.
Waters said it was also discovered that Wu and Zhang, who was previously convicted of a felony in 2015, lived at the residence.
The department, along with state and federal law enforcement, served a search warrant on July 2 and found two loaded and un-serialized semi-automatic handguns, three high-capacity magazines, five major components of a firearm, and a large quantity of un-serialized ghost gun parts, Waters said.
The firearms were not safely locked away and were within easy reach of two children, ages seven and nine, who live in the home, he added.
Zhang was charged with:
- Two counts of criminal possession of a weapon
- Two counts of criminal possession of a weapon/in relation to two semi-automatic 9mm pistols
- Three counts of criminal possession of a weapon/based on three high capacity magazines, two Glock style 9mm mags with 31 capacity, and one AR-15 style 5.56/.223 caliber magazine with 30 capacity)
- Five counts of criminal possession of a weapon for possessing major components of a firearm
- 65 counts of criminal possession of a weapon for un-serialized ghost gun parts
- Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Wu was charged with:
- Two counts of criminal possession of a weapon
- Two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in relation to two semi-automatic 9mm pistols
- Three counts of criminal possession of a weapon/based on three high capacity magazines: two Glock style 9mm mags with 31 capacity, and one AR-15 style 5.56/.223 caliber magazine with 30 capacity
- 65 counts of criminal possession of a weapon for un-serialized ghost gun parts
- Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child
Tao and Wu were remanded to the Rockland County Jail on $50,000 cash bail, a $100,000 bond, and a $200,000 partially secured bond.
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