Leader of Gun and Drug Trafficking Network Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison; Main Firearms Supplier Sentenced to 40 Years

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the convictions of nine members of firearms and narcotics trafficking rings that sold ghost guns, assault-style rifles, and counterfeit oxycodone pills containing deadly amounts of fentanyl in Dutchess County. The ringleader, Muayad Qader, was sentenced on January 24 to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to four felonies. The primary supplier of firearms to the gun trafficking operation, Jason Knapp, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on January 17 after being convicted at trial for the sale and possession of 12 firearms, as well as Conspiracy. The remaining two members of the gun trafficking operation have also been convicted and are awaiting sentencing, along with the five remaining defendants charged for their roles in the narcotics trafficking operation.

“These dangerous criminals flooded New York communities with untraceable ghost guns and counterfeit opioids containing deadly amounts of fentanyl,” said Attorney General James. “This case is a significant victory in my office’s efforts to turn the tide on the crises of gun violence and opioid addiction. The convictions and sentences we secured are putting a stop to deadly gun and drug trafficking operations, protecting New Yorkers in the Hudson Valley. I thank all of our partners in this investigation, and we will continue to go after anyone who threatens New Yorkers’ safety.”

“These convictions speak to the tremendous interagency coordination and cooperation necessary to get dangerous individuals, illegal drugs, and weapons off our streets,” said New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James. “As a result, a major drug trafficking and weapons operation has been shut down. These substances destroy communities and put lives at risk. I want to thank our members and partners at the Attorney General’s Office for their tenacious dedication to tracking illegal drugs and weapons and intercepting them at their source.”

The convictions are the result of an 18-month joint investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the New York State Police’s (NYSP) Special Investigations Unit – Hudson Valley (SIU-HV), and the Troop K – Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (K-VGNET). In February 2024, Attorney General James announced the arrests and indictments of the defendants for their roles in the narcotics and firearms trafficking operations.

The investigation resulted in the indictment of four individuals on 154 counts for trafficking firearms and recovered 31 firearms. These included 14 unserialized AR-style ghost gun rifles, two serialized non-compliant AR-style rifles, a defaced AR-style rifle, a defaced magazine-fed shotgun, a Polymer-80 ghost gun pistol, and a defaced Glock-21 pistol, as well as high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

A separate 63-count indictment charged seven defendants with trafficking thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. The investigation also recovered approximately 5,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl with a street value of about $150,000 and approximately $55,000 in cash.

Firearms Trafficking Network

The investigation into the firearms trafficking network centered around Muayad Qader, 35, of Poughkeepsie, who obtained firearms from Jason Knapp, Joseph Silverman, and Louis Gonzalez for later resale. Knapp built ghost assault-style weapons in his Dutchess County home and sold the firearms to Qader at a Valero Gas Station, as well as at Qader’s residence in Poughkeepsie, New York.

In addition to the conviction of Knapp, in May 2024, Qader, Silverman, and Gonzalez pleaded guilty before Judge Edward McLoughlin in Dutchess County Court to felony charges for their roles in the firearms trafficking network:

• Qader pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree (a Class B felony) and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (a Class E felony).
• Louis Gonzalez, 53 years old, of LaGrangeville, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree (a Class D felony), one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (a Class E felony), and one count of Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree (a class A misdemeanor). His sentence is pending.
• Joseph Silverman, 30 years old, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree (a Class C felony), one count of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (a Class E felony), and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (a class E felony). His sentence is pending.

Narcotics Trafficking Network

The investigation also revealed that Qader was part of a narcotics trafficking operation during which he bought and sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. The narcotics investigation culminated in a separate 63-count indictment of Qader, as well as codefendants Aaron Steppe, Christopher Evans, Angel Williams, Isaiah Atkins, Curtis Holland, and Stephen Gary, who were supplying the counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.

In May 2024, all remaining defendants pleaded guilty before the Honorable Edward McLoughlin in Dutchess County Court:

• Qader pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree (a Class A-II felony), and one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony), to run concurrent with the sentences on the firearm trafficking indictment.
• Isaiah Atkins, 27 years old, of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a Class B felony), for which he received a sentence of five and a half years in prison and two years of post-release supervision, and one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony), for which he received a sentence of one to three years in prison, to run concurrent. Atkins further forfeited $35,010 in seized cash.
• Christopher Evans, 34 years old, of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a Class B felony), for which he received a sentence of four years in prison and two years of post-release supervision, and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (a Class E felony), for which he received a sentence of one to three years in prison, to run concurrent.
• Curtis Holland, 32 years old, of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a Class B felony), and one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree (a class C felony). His sentence is pending.
• Aaron Steppe, 29 years old, of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a Class B felony), for which he received a sentence of five years in prison and two years of post-release supervision, and one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony), for which he received a sentence of one to three years in prison, to run concurrent. Steppe further forfeited $6,443 in seized cash and a seized 2007 Infiniti G35.
• Angel Williams, 24 years old, of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty to one count of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree (a Class A misdemeanor), for which she received a sentence of three years of probation.

Attorney General James thanks New York State Police’s (NYSP) Special Investigations Unit – Hudson Valley (SIU-HV) and Troop K – Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (K-VGNET), Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi and the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department (CPPD), and the Dutchess County Drug Task Force (DCDTF) for their valuable work and assistance in this investigation and prosecution.

The investigation was led by members of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit-Hudson Valley, the New York State Police Troop K - Violent Gangs and Narcotics Enforcement Team, and OCTF Detective Steven Cohan and OCTF Detective David Walsh, under the supervision of OCTF Detective Supervisor Bradford Miller, OCTF Downstate Assistant Chief Ismael Hernandez, and OCTF Deputy Chief Andrew Boss. The Attorney General’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The OAG was represented at trial and at the guilty pleas by former OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Griffin Kenyon and OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Joseph Barca, under the supervision of Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti and with the assistance of OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General John Genovese and OCTF Legal Analyst Madeline Rosen. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.