9/11 Museum Guard Admits To Trafficking Guns

TRIBECA, NY — A security guard at the 9/11 Museum admitted to trafficking multiple guns into New York, including "assault-style weapons," prosecutors said Monday.

The guard, Maquan Moore, pleaded guilty on Monday to trafficking more than 25 guns from outside New York into Manhattan.

Moore and his accomplice Morris Wilson were arrested in February. The two trafficked multiple guns from Florida to New York. Among the lethal weapons were a machine pistol, as well as other handguns and rifles, prosecutors said.

The men were caught in a sting operation set up by the NYPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives after undercover officers began buying guns from Moore in December. On Feb. 1, an undercover officer purchased additional guns from Moore, after which both he and Wilson were arrested.

"Maquan Moore was in the business of peddling illegal firearms in busy downtown New York," federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. "When individuals attempt to bypass the critically important system of licensing for lawful ownership, the result is a less safe society for all of us."

Moore, 29, pleaded guilty to one charge of firearms trafficking and faces up to five years in prison. Moore worked for a private security firm that was contracted to work at the 9/11 Museum.

Wilson is facing multiple gun charges.

Image credit: Image credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York