Connecticut Man Arrested for Making and Selling Illegal High Capacity AR-15 Assault Rifles

By Wendy Ann Mitchell (Patch Staff)

New Fairfield, CT — After a months-long investigation by Connecticut's Statewide Urban Violence Crime Control Task Force, a New Fairfield man was arrested and charged with illegally manufacturing and selling assault rifles out of his New Fairfield home, police said.

Detectives conducted an investigation and obtained a search warrant for Michael Giannone, 44, who was was taken into custody on March 24 after an investigation, police said. The investigation was officially completed on Tuesday when police released the report.

On March 24, police followed Giannone's white BMW as he dropped his 9-year-old son off at school. Detectives said he was in possession of a firearm while on school property and took him into custody before searching his Merlin Avenue home.

While in the police cruiser, Giannone told detectives that he made and sold assault rifles for gun shows and that he was on the verge of bankruptcy after a failed attempt at running an unnamed Westchester pizza restaurant. He told police he lost over $700,000 on the pizzeria but "does well" at selling guns at gun shows.

Giannone told detectives that he makes finished and unfinished assault rifles and and does everything "by the book." He told detectives that he recently sold a Bushmaster and when police searched his residence, they found 59 complete firearms, 48 of which were legal after searching his home. Police said the nine unregistered weapons they found were assault rifles and did not have serial numbers.

Police also found over 10,000 live rounds of ammunition, 12 illegal AR-15 lower receivers without serial numbers, 65 illegal high-capacity magazines, one rifle with an illegal silencer and two additional silencers.

He was charged with nine counts of possession of assault weapons, three counts of possession of silencers, 65 counts of possession of high-capacity magazine, improper storage of firearms, risk of injury to a minor and possession of weapon on school grounds.

He will face a judge on Tuesday and was given bond of $100,000.

Connecticut State Police photo