Mark Vicars allegedly possessed a loaded pistol, assault rifle and body armor when he was arrested
MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Syosset man arrested in December for impersonating a federal air marshal and was allegedly found with multiple weapons in his car and home was arraigned this afternoon on a 51-count grand jury indictment.
Mark Vicars, 49, was arraigned today before Acting Supreme Court Justice Meryl Berkowitz on the following grand jury charges:
• Four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree (a C violent felony)
• Eleven counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree (a D violent felony)
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd Degree (a D felony)
• Seven counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (an E felony)
• Twenty-four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th Degree (an E felony)
• Criminal Impersonation in the 2nd Degree (an A misdemeanor)
• Failure to Stop at a Red Light (a traffic infraction)
• Obstruction on License Plate (a traffic infraction)
Bail was set at $750,000 cash or $500,000 bond. Vicars is due back in court on Feb. 8 and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
“The defendant allegedly stockpiled an arsenal of weapons and ammunitions in his home and pretended to be a federal air marshal,” DA Singas said. “The defendant’s alleged charade, however, ended when our partners in law enforcement arrested him and discovered his weapons cache. Masquerading as a federal agent is a serious charge and my office is taking this case very seriously.”
DA Singas said that Nassau County Police Department Special Investigation Squad detectives, working with the New York office of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Transportation Security Administration, initiated a traffic stop of the defendant on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset on Dec. 3. Vicars allegedly pulled over and activated emergency lights on his 2014 Dodge Durango. The defendant produced a fraudulent shield and credentials that identified him as a federal air marshal. Vicars was found to be in possession of a loaded .380 pistol and a knife and in the back seat of the car a loaded assault rifle, ballistic body armor, a tactical vest, eight high capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found.
After obtaining a search warrant at the defendant’s home, detectives recovered more weapons and approximately 8,300 rounds of ammunition.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Lasry of DA Singas’ County Court Trial Bureau is prosecuting the case. Vicars is represented by Dennis Lemke, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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