Firearms, fake FBI badges found during raid of NY deputy mayor’s home, officials say

A New York town’s deputy mayor is facing state and federal charges after authorities say they found unregistered firearms, fake FBI badges and other fraudulent identification cards during a raid of his home last week. 

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 47-year-old Brian Downey, the deputy mayor of Airmont, N.Y., allegedly had more than a dozen firearms displayed on a black wall in his basement, including ones which were “not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.” 

Additionally, federal authorities alleged that Downey “possessed badges, identification cards, and other insignia, of the design prescribed by the head of a department or agency of the United States for use by officers or employees thereof.” 

An image included in the complaint showed several law enforcement badges and ID cards, including some purporting to be official FBI badges. 

The deputy mayor of the town located about 35 miles north of New York City also has been also charged by local authorities. The charges include criminal possession of 10 or more unregistered firearms, as well as counts related to the possession of 16 assault weapons and 13 firearm silencers. 

Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh said in a press release last week that the execution of a search warrant and Downey’s arrest followed an investigation by multiple agencies into reports of alleged purchases of illegal gun parts. 

The district attorney said that the Department of Homeland Security had received a tip of “the delivery of the illegal device” to Downey’s home. 

Walsh said in a statement at the time that the “arrest of an individual who was entrusted by the public to serve his community is a sad day for our County.” 

“Gun related violence is on the rise in Rockland County and around our Country,” he added. “The District Attorney’s office is committed to find ways to drive down the sale of illegal firearms, possession of unlawful firearm components, as well as the modification of weapons that the public should not have in their possession.” 

According to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News, Downey, a local assistant building inspector and part-time court officer, was elected to the deputy mayor role in Airmont in 2019. 

It was not immediately clear if Downey had an attorney representing him in the case. 

Jail records showed that Downey had been released from custody after meeting his bond, which the Journal News reported was set at $250,000.