Nassau Man Sold 21 Firearms To Undercover Officers In Broad Daylight: Feds

BROOKLYN, NY — Six people, including a man from Long Beach, have been arrested in two separate firearms trafficking cases, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District announced.

James Strong, 35, was indicted and arrested. He was ordered detained on Wednesday morning by the magistrate judge in Brooklyn.

As set forth in court filings, Strong sold 21 firearms to two separate undercover law enforcement officers in heavily populated areas of Queens Village in broad daylight, prosecutors said.

In some cases, the firearms were sold just blocks away from an elementary school.

The uncovered officers told Strong that they were smuggling the guns to Trinidad in barrels. In connection with these firearms sales, Strong is also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms due to his previous felony conviction for manslaughter stemming from a 2007 incident in which he shot a man eight times, killing him, at a birthday party in Valley Stream, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.

Strong was sentenced to 18 years in prison and was released on parole in October 2023. Strong
was on parole at the time he made the illegal sales.

“James Strong and his co-defendants allegedly funneled untraceable ghost guns and other deadly firearms into a vibrant Queens community, putting countless lives—including children—at risk,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “Strong is a convicted killer who was out
on parole when he carried out these sales, often in broad daylight and just steps from a school.