NEW YORK—A corruption probe at the New York Police Department has cast a harsh light on how people get handgun permits in a city that boasts some of the nation’s toughest gun laws.
Federal prosecutors say a shady fixer’s cash bribes induced officers working in NYPD’s licensing division to rubber-stamp dozens of gun applications, circumventing stringent background checks intended to weed out candidates with criminal records, mental health problems and other red flags. The potential public safety breach comes amid a national debate over whether easy access to weapons fueled the Orlando massacre and other mass shootings.
“We don’t want guns getting into the wrong hands, and we have officers of the law facilitating that process,” said Leah Gunn Barrett, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. “That is not a good situation.”
The New York investigation caught Alex “Shaya” Lichtenstein, a volunteer safety patrol member, on tape bragging that he had obtained at least 150 licenses for people to carry guns by paying up to $6,000 in bribes for each weapon.
The bribes were covered by fees of $10,000 or more paid by clients who in turn saw their applications to carry a handgun approved in two months or less—compared to as long as a year in normal circumstances—while other clients saw their criminal histories ignored.
Investigators say one person got a permit despite being arrested for bribing a public official and for assault. Another license holder was arrested on a forgery charge and was the subject of domestic violence complaints, including one involving a death threat.
Lichtenstein “was no less than an arms dealer for the community,” a federal prosecutor said at an arraignment last month when Lichtenstein pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit bribery.
Two police officers who worked in the licensing division were also arrested in the bribery scheme—part of a broader, ongoing corruption case that has roiled the nation’s largest police department.
Last week, two high-ranking NYPD commanders were charged with accepting $100,000 in bribes including free flights, hotel rooms and prostitutes in exchange for favors like police escorts, ticket fixing and getting gun license applications for corrupt businessmen.
