Area man to face arms charges
An Upland man accused of hoarding a huge cache of guns and explosives inside his home was indicted this week on federal weapons charges.
Robert Ferro, who claimed to be holding the weapons for a militant group intent on overthrowing Cuba's Fidel Castro, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Riverside.
Federal officials declined to comment Friday on whether they believe Ferro possessed the guns for the Alpha 66 organization or whether his story might be a cover for something else.
Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, said the reasons Ferro had the guns are irrelevant to the charges he faces.
"Regardless of the motive, we've alleged he could not have the guns because he's a convicted felon," Mrozek said. "He further violated the law by possessing weapons that were not registered."
Ferro, 61, is charged with three counts of possessing unregistered firearms and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Ferro's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment Friday afternoon.
Ferro is not legally allowed to have guns because of a 1992 felony conviction in Pomona for possession of plastic explosives, prosecutors say.
Authorities in that case alleged Ferro had the C-4 explosives in connection with Alpha 66, and they accused him of training young men at his Pomona chicken ranch to overthrow the Cuban government.
Federal agents raided his home on Tapia Way in Upland last month. About 1,400 guns and explosives were seized, authorities said.
According to a federal indictment made public on Friday, weapons included high-powered rifles, several pistols with silencers attached and a handful of machine guns.
"He had a wide range of different firearms," said John D'Angelo, spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "That's weaponry you don't commonly find."
Authorities say they were led to Ferro during the investigation of a man who shot a Glendora police officer.
An Alpha 66 spokesman has denied that Ferro was a member of the group.
Robert Ferro, who claimed to be holding the weapons for a militant group intent on overthrowing Cuba's Fidel Castro, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Riverside.
Federal officials declined to comment Friday on whether they believe Ferro possessed the guns for the Alpha 66 organization or whether his story might be a cover for something else.
Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, said the reasons Ferro had the guns are irrelevant to the charges he faces.
"Regardless of the motive, we've alleged he could not have the guns because he's a convicted felon," Mrozek said. "He further violated the law by possessing weapons that were not registered."
Ferro, 61, is charged with three counts of possessing unregistered firearms and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Each count carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Ferro's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment Friday afternoon.
Ferro is not legally allowed to have guns because of a 1992 felony conviction in Pomona for possession of plastic explosives, prosecutors say.
Authorities in that case alleged Ferro had the C-4 explosives in connection with Alpha 66, and they accused him of training young men at his Pomona chicken ranch to overthrow the Cuban government.
Federal agents raided his home on Tapia Way in Upland last month. About 1,400 guns and explosives were seized, authorities said.
According to a federal indictment made public on Friday, weapons included high-powered rifles, several pistols with silencers attached and a handful of machine guns.
"He had a wide range of different firearms," said John D'Angelo, spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "That's weaponry you don't commonly find."
Authorities say they were led to Ferro during the investigation of a man who shot a Glendora police officer.
An Alpha 66 spokesman has denied that Ferro was a member of the group.
posted by Alice at
Saturday, May 20, 2006
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