A 36-year-old Bergen man who was subject of a multi-agency investigation into weapons possession admitted this week in Federal Court to a charge of illegal possession of machineguns.
Peter S. Celentano, Jr. pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to federal prosecutors, on Sept. 29, the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives executed a search warrant at Celentano’s residence in Bergen.
Investigators recovered 3D-printed pistol frames, firearm parts and accessories, ammunition reloading equipment, tools for constructing privately made firearms, a drill press, and two 3D-printed machinegun conversion devices.
Additional searches at properties in Lyndonville and Medina led to the seizure of numerous AR-style lower receivers, 3D-printed handguns, and more firearm parts and accessories. In total, law enforcement seized more than 200 firearms connected to Celentano.
Investigators also learned that Celentano provided another individual with nine lower receivers, two of which contained a “third pin hole,” qualifying them as machineguns. These firearms were later discarded into the Erie Canal from the Beals Road Bridge in Medina. A New York State Police dive team recovered a cardboard box containing 10 AR-style receivers, an unmarked handgun, ammunition magazines, and additional firearm parts from the canal.
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2025, before Judge Vilardo.
