Shaya Lichtenstein (center) leaves Federal Court after arraignment Photo: Matt McDermott/New York Post
Alex Lichtenstein of Pomona, a volunteer for the Brooklyn Borough Park Shomrim, sold the licenses for up to $18,000 each, prosecutors said.
“A Pomona man admitted in federal court Thursday that he bribed New York City police officers with thousands of dollars to obtain gun licenses he sold for up to $18,000 each, federal prosecutors said.
Alex Lichtenstein was caught on tape boasting of “using his NYPD connections to obtain 150 gun licenses” and later charging his “clients as much as $18,000 per gun license,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Lichtenstein, 44, known as “Shaya,” pleaded guilty to one count of bribery and one count of offering a bribe when he is sentenced March 16. He faces 57 to 71 months in prison under a plea agreement signed Thursday with federal prosecutors, though his actual sentence will be at the discretion of U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein.
Lichtenstein ran his gun license business and volunteered with the Brooklyn Borough Park Shomrim, whose mission included combating criminal activity and locating missing people.”
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