Port Washington man allegedly found with stockpile of illegal guns

Jessica Parks
Port Washington resident John Dejana was arrested for his alleged possession of a number of illegal guns. (Photo courtesy of the Nassau County Police Department)

A Port Washington man was arrested last Thursday after a police search of his property turned up 11 guns that had their identifying serial numbers defaced.

John Dejana, 47, was the subject of a long-term investigation by the FBI Long Island Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to police.

Kevin Smith, first deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department, said a total of 27 weapons were found in the Dejana residence, where the defendant lived with his wife, four daughters and two dogs.

One of the guns was found in Dejana’s 12-year-old daughter’s room along with a pink Louis Vuitton holster, according to police.

Some 3,000 rounds of ammunition, marijuana and steroids were discovered in the home of Dejana, who is the husband of a nursery teacher at Roslyn’s Temple Sinai.

“As a result, we have placed the teacher on administrative leave while we investigate the impact of the situation,” a news release from the organization said.

Dejana, of 10 Slocum Ave., was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree. He was found to be in possession of five assault rifles, 12 ammunition magazines and four serial code defacement kits, according to police.

Smith said Dejana had no previous criminal history or known domestic issues, nor did he hold any firearm licenses.

William Petrillo, Dejana’s defense attorney, said: “John is a responsible, hard-working family man with four children and no prior record. He has earned the respect of many in the community. The legislative intent behind this criminal statute was to prosecute a category of offenders of which John is not a part. We are uncovering evidence which we are confident will lead to a fair resolution and we ask the public to reserve decision.”

Dejana was arraigned last Friday in First District Court in Hempstead, where his bail was set at $100,000 in cash or $200,000 bond. Dejana has posted bail “and is back to working very hard,” his attorney said.

His next appearance before the court was scheduled for Tuesday but has been postponed to Dec. 3. Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said if found guilty, Dejana could face up to 25 years in prison.

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