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A Long Beach man admitted to selling 10 illegal firearms, including assault weapons and ghost guns, in broad daylight in front of his apartment, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly has announced.
Two of the weapons were later linked to multiple shootings in Nassau and Queens, authorities said.
James Jayshaun Edwards, 33, pleaded guilty in Nassau County criminal court last week to first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm. He is expected to be sentenced Feb. 14 to seven years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Prosecutors had sought a 13-year prison term, the district attorney’s office said.
“The overwhelming evidence against him forced this defendant to take accountability for selling nearly a dozen dangerous ghost guns right in front of his home in broad daylight,” Donnelly said. “Our investigation continues into locating the source of the guns this defendant was selling on the streets of Long Beach.
“We will not tolerate the illegal sale of untraceable weapons in our communities that can put the lives of Nassau County residents at risk,” she added.
Between April and July 2024, Edwards sold 10 illegal firearms – including an AR-15-style ghost gun, an assault pistol and several loaded handguns – directly in front of his Birch Court apartment in Long Beach, prosecutors said. Many of the weapons came with additional ammunition.
Authorities recovered three additional firearms during an August 2024 search of Edwards’ home, authorities said. Ballistics testing revealed that two of the guns he sold were linked to shootings in Roosevelt, Westbury, Long Beach and Queens, which took place between August 2021 and June 2022.
Arrested in August
Edwards was arrested Aug. 22. Below is video from a press conference announcing his arrest and details of his alleged activity.
DA Anne T. Donnelly was joined by partners from the @ATFHQ, @NassauCountyPD, @NYPDnews, and @longbeachpd to announce the indictment of James Jayshaun Edwards, who allegedly sold 10 illegal weapons in Long Beach over the course of several months this year.https://t.co/OKUc8ldeLE pic.twitter.com/nFiHEWbjoI
— Nassau DA (@NassauDA) August 28, 2024
