A 52-year-old Monmouth County man made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday on charges he illegally possessed 36 machine guns.
TRENTON - A 52-year-old Monmouth County man made his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday on charges he illegally possessed 36 machine guns, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
During the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2014, law enforcement officers responded to a call from a Millstone Township residence after one of residents - identified as John Lafergola, now 52 - allegedly pointed a handgun at another member of his household, authorities said.
Investigators discovered that Lafergola possessed 72 firearms, including 36 machine guns, and dozens of firearms components, ammunition, accessories, and manufacturing tools.
Authorities said 13 of the machine guns were found to be operational as automatic weapons, each of which was found to have been assembled out of separate components, including:
* A 9 mm Luger caliber, FBP M948-type firearm, 31 . inches long, bearing no serial number nor manufacturer's marks of identification;
* A 9 mm Luger caliber, Suomi M31-type firearm, 34 inches long, and bearing no manufacturer's marks of identification;
* A 7.62x25 mm caliber, M56-type firearm, 34 inches long, bearing no serial number nor manufacturer's marks of identification.
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Lafergola was also in possession of three short-barreled rifles, including one that had an obliterated serial number, two silencers, non-smoke gunpowder, fuses, other materials that could be used to make explosive devices, and explosive devices, authorities said.
Lafergola was charged with knowingly possessing machine guns and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman on Tuesday. He was detained without bail.
Fishman credited special agents of the ATF and the N.J. State Police with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office for its role in the case.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
