Arms Dealer Who Sold Assault Rifles Indicted in Bronx: Prosecutors

Pictured: One of the assault rifles allegedly sold to an undercover NYPD detective. Credit: Bronx District Attorney's Office

By Kevin Deutsch          

[email protected]

BRONX SUPREME COURT  – An accused Bronx arms dealer was indicted Thursday for selling thirteen guns – including two assault rifles  – to an undercover NYPD detective, prosecutors said.

Frankie Esperanza, 34, of Throgs Neck, was arraigned in Bronx Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with 77 counts including criminal sale of a firearm, weapon possession, and ammunition possession.

Prosecutors said Esperanza allegedly sold the guns to the detective on eight different occasions between August 8, 2018, and January 28, 2019, at various locations in the Throgs Neck area. Among the inventory that allegedly changed hands: two semi-automatic assault rifles, a high-capacity magazine, and more than two hundred rounds of ammo.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas ordered Esperanza held on $250,000 bond. He is due back in court June 19.

“The defendant allegedly possessed these dangerous weapons in the Bronx, and sold them to a courageous NYPD detective posing as a gun buyer,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. “Fortunately, these firearms were intercepted before they could harm anyone in our community, and this alleged gun dealer is out of business. We will do everything we can to stop the flow of illegal guns to our streets.”

If convicted of the top charge of selling a firearm, Esperanza could face five to 25 years in prison, officials said.

About Kevin Deutsch 265 Articles
Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.