A Syosset man has admitted to impersonating a federal air marshal after he was found with an arsenal of handguns, assault rifles and ammunition in his home and his car in 2015.
Mark Vicars, 50, pleaded guilty Wednesday at Nassau County court to criminal possession of a weapon for illegally possessing an AR-15 assault rifle, a Ruger pistol, a Smith and Wesson revolver, a Springfield Armory pistol, a Sig Sauer pistol and two Glock pistols. He also pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a forged instrument.
“Thankfully, this defendant’s ridiculous farce came to end when our partners in law enforcement, based on a tip, arrested him and discovered his stockpile of illegal weapons,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Prosecutors said Vicars activated emergency lights on his Dodge Durango, identified himself as a federal air marshal and flashed a fraudulent shield when investigators pulled him over on Dec. 3, 2015.
He was found to be in possession of a loaded .380 pistol and a knife, authorities said. A loaded assault rifle, ballistic body armor, a tactical vest, eight high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in the back seat of the car, according to investigators. More weapons and another 8,300 rounds of ammo were later discovered during a search of his home, prosecutors said.
His arrest was the result of a joint probe conducted by Nassau County Police Special Investigation Squad detectives, the New York office of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Transportation Security Administration.
Judge William Donnino set his sentencing for March 3. Prosecutors recommended that he be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
