ALBANY, N.Y. – Federal law enforcement officials said Friday that they seized 134 firearms from Capital Region locations as part of an investigation into two brothers from Albany who were arrested this week on conspiracy charges.
Court-authorized searches of more than 15 locations turned up the guns from two residences in Albany and Troy, and storage units in Menands, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
The weapons were taken as part of an investigation into Iziah Cox, 37, and Kaya Cox, 41, who appeared in federal court on Tuesday, were charged with conspiracy to make false statements to financial institutions and ordered held pending a trial by U.S. Magistrate Paul Evangelista, Sarcone said.
Prosecutors allege the brothers this spring made false statements to banks, and were “allegedly operating a web of false businesses designed to receive the proceeds of domestic and international scams.”
Iziah Cox was also charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, federal officials said, adding that many of the found guns were hidden in stereo equipment.
The conspiracy charges carry an up to five-year prison term, while the maximum sentence for the firearm charge is 15 years in prison.
