Wash Heights Man, 21, Printed Ghost Guns, Threatened To Kill GF: DA

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY - A Washington Heights man pleaded guilty Monday to making and possessing operable ghost guns in his apartment, as well as threatening to kill his former girlfriend with one of the weapons he made, authorities said.

Eleazer Edelstein, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of aggravated harassment in New York State Supreme Court, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said.

The Washington Heights man faces up to four and a half years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision and a waiver of right to appeal, Bragg said. He is slated to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2024.

According to statements made in court, from January 2021 to December 2022, Edelstein bought at least 16 items to print ghost guns, including two 3D printers and multiple spools of filament, authorities said. The 21-year-old then used those items to build at least two usable ghost gun guns.

Edelstein’s electronic devices also contained multiple “CAD files,” or digital blueprints, to utilize the 3D printers found in his apartment. Some of the files contained specific codes for 3D printing firearms and other parts, such as magazines, authorities added.

Between May 28 and May 30, 2023, Edelstein threatened to kill his girlfriend over a series of text messages. During a FaceTime call over the same period, he shower her one of the weapons he printed.

A search warrant was executed by the NYPD on Edelstein’s apartment on June 2, where the weapons and parts were seized and Edelstein was arrested.

“Today Eleazer Edelstein was held accountable for manufacturing ghost guns in his Washington Heights apartment, threatening the safety of New Yorkers in addition to directly threatening the life of his former girlfriend,” Bragg said in a statement.

“Ghost guns are a dangerous loophole in our laws, making it possible for people to create deadly firearms from the comfort of their homes. Today’s guilty plea further indicates the need for the New York legislature to make the manufacturing of 3D-printed guns and gun parts illegal.”