Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced the indictment of STEFANO PACHON, 21, DARWIN FIGUERA, 34, and YORMAN SERRANO, 31, for a conspiracy to sell and traffic illegal firearms. PACHON is allegedly a high-ranking member of the Tren de Aragua gang, which originates in Venezuela. A fourth co-conspirator has also been charged in the indictment.
The weapons sold include semiautomatic pistols, shotguns, rifles and ghost guns. One of the semi-automatic weapons was equipped with a “sear switch” to turn it automatic, and many were sold with large ammunition feeding devices to increase their capacity. The investigation into this alleged conduct remains ongoing.
The defendants are charged in a 31-count New York State Supreme Court indictment with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, among other charges. [1]
“Selling illegal weapons in Manhattan is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The scourge of gun violence takes a devastating toll on our communities, and I have met with far too many heartbroken families who have lost a loved one because of illegal firearms. While gun violence continues to trend downward in Manhattan, there is a lot more work to do, and we will continue to partner with the NYPD to hold people accountable who commit this type of dangerous conduct. I thank the investigators, prosecutors and detectives who worked collaboratively to get these weapons off our streets,” said District Attorney Bragg.
“These charges are a stark reminder that we must always remain vigilant against high-powered, illegal firearms and the dangerous gangs that would use them to hurt New York City families and communities,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “ The NYPD will always unflinchingly perform the heroic work required to prevent these weapons from getting into criminals’ hands, so that everyone in our city can live free from fear and violence. I thank the Manhattan District Attorney and all of our local, state, and federal partners for their hard work and collaboration on this important case, and I commend them for their ongoing commitment to our shared public safety mission.”
The case stemmed in part from an investigation into Victor Parra, the ringleader of a cell-phone snatching ring. Earlier this week, Parra pleaded guilty to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and is expected to be sentenced to 2-to-6 years in state prison. The evidence in that investigation contributed to the investigation of this gun trafficking conspiracy.
Pictured: 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, the defendants sold 11 guns between September 2024 and January 2025 on ten separate occasions. PACHON acted as the ringleader and negotiated the purchase and price for most of the weapons. The sales occurred in multiple locations in the Bronx and at a gas station in East Harlem at East 125th Street and Second Avenue.
The defendants would send information about the weapons over WhatsApp, including photos. The buyer would then come to the meet up point and provide cash in exchange for the guns.
The weapons appear to be newer, high-quality firearms. They include:
- four 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol each equipped with ammunition magazines
- Polymer80 9-millimeter semi-automatic ghost gun that had a magazine with the capacity for 34 rounds
- Smith & Wesson .38 special caliber revolver
- 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun
- Smith & Wesson .40 caliber fully-automatic pistol that had a magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds
- American Tactical 5.56×45 millimeter semi-automatic rifle equipped with ammunition magazines
- Radical 5.56×45 millimeter semi-automatic pistol with ammunition magazines
- Ruger semi-automatic pistol
Pictured: 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol with a magazine feeder
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant D.A. Yuval Simchi-Levi, under the supervision of Chris Prevost (Deputy Chief of the Trial Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). Trial Preparation Analyst James Hupprich (Trial Bureau 60), Senior Investigative Analyst Tauhid Dewan (Crime Strategies Unit), and Investigative Analysts Leah Martins (Crime Strategies Unit) and Joel Torres (Trial Bureau 60) are assisting with the investigation and prosecution. Special thanks to Assistant D.A.s Andrew Mercer (Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit), Charles Manfredi (Deputy Chief of the Crime Strategies Unit) and Steven Moran of the High-Tech Analysis Unit for their assistance in this matter.
D.A. Bragg thanked Detective Nicholas McQuail and the Field Intelligence Office of the 25th Precinct, Detective Christopher Derco of the FBI/NYPD Metro Safe Streets Task Force, Special Agent Michael Di Paolo of the FBI and IRS Alexandra Hotaling of the NYPD Intelligence Division.
Defendant Information:
STEFANO PACHON
Bronx, New York
Charged:
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
- Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B felony, ten counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, five counts
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, seven counts
- Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony, four counts
YORMAN SERRANO
Bronx, New York
Charged:
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
- Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony, one count
DARWIN FIGUERA
Bronx, New York
Charged:
- Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony, one count
- Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.