Crips Gang Member Had Loaded Pistol In Suffolk Home: Suffolk DA

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY — A gang member who had a loaded pistol in a Middle Island home was arrested, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced Tuesday.

Robert Diaz, also known as "Bobbynice," 19, of Staten Island, was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a C felony), third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a D felony), and first-degree criminal contempt (an E felony). Diaz was identified as a member of the Paybacc Crips street gang, according to law enforcement.

Diaz faces up to 15 years in prison if he's convicted of the top count.

"Thanks to excellent police work by the [New York Police Department] in collaboration with my office, we have seized yet another illegal weapon from a gang member here in Suffolk County," Sini said via news release. "Any illegal firearm in the hands of a dangerous gang member is a threat to our public safety, particularly when that firearm is a ghost gun specifically manufactured to evade being detected and traced by law enforcement. It is a top priority for my office to continue working with all of our law enforcement partners to remove these illegal weapons from our streets and keep our communities safe."

Diaz was identified as a suspect in an ongoing investigation by the NYPD’s Field Intelligence Officers assigned to the 106th Precinct into illegal firearms possession, officials said. Officers found numerous posts on Diaz's Instagram page of him posing with and firing firearms, as well as posts referencing the assembly of "ghost guns," or homemade firearms that lack serial numbers, officials said.

Police officers from the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad and NYPD executed a search warrant on Monday at a home in Middle Island where Diaz was living, authorities said. Officials say they found a loaded Polymer 80 9mm pistol without a serial number, as well as a high capacity magazine.

Diaz's criminal contempt charge is due to him violating a stay-away order of protection which banned him from being at the home and possessing any firearms, Sini said.

Diaz was arraigned on the charges in Suffolk County First District Court on Tuesday, and his bail was set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. He is due back in court on Friday. He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society.