The tipster said there were drugs. Then the police heard that there were weapons. A lot of them.

So they prepared a ruse. They would stage a car accident in front of the house, the owner would come out, and they would grab him.

On Wednesday around 6 p.m., the ruse worked. Albert J. Boschi, 40, calmly walked out of his two-story lime-green home in the South Beach section of Staten Island to check on his white sedan, which had apparently been hit. When Mr. Boschi got to the sidewalk, city, state and federal law enforcement officials seized him.

But the real surprise was in the basement, in what one city police official described yesterday as Mr. Boschi's Armageddon den.

In a 12-by-12-foot cinder block bunker, Mr. Boschi had several AK-47's with bayonet mounts, a shotgun, several rifles and handguns, a grenade belt, seven homemade and fully functioning bombs, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, officials said at a news conference in Manhattan where they displayed some of the seized items. The bunker also contained Nazi paraphernalia, like a red wool armband and a four-inch steel dagger from World War II with Nazi markings, officials said. Alongside the gas masks and chemical suits, the shelves were stacked with canned meat, jars of vegetables and bottled water - enough to feed his family for months, the police said.

"It was like he was getting ready for something really big," said John Peluso, an assistant special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. "But we have no idea what."

In the house with Mr. Boschi were his girlfriend, Anna Dicamillo, 39, and their 1-year-old son, who was placed with his mother's family. Yesterday, Mr. Boschi and Ms. Dicamillo were arraigned in Staten Island Criminal Court, charged with several counts of criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. The police said Mr. Boschi had a license for only one of the weapons. Fifteen minutes before staging the accident in front of Mr. Boschi's house, on McLean Avenue, police officers closed off a four-block area and evacuated some of the neighboring houses. A plainclothes agent from a joint drug task force drove up in a car, angled it against Mr. Boschi's to make it look as if it had been hit, and waited for him to come out of the house. The agents lying in wait did not storm the house, officials said, because Mr. Boschi had surveillance cameras in the front and back. In the working-class neighborhood of two-story stucco houses, brick apartment buildings, salons and small shops, residents who had not been evacuated watched the unfolding scene from windows and porches.

Aqim Bacqa, 68, a native Albanian living next door at 182 McLean Avenue, said that the raid had brought back bad memories of his war-torn homeland. He said he had made a habit of keeping his distance from Mr. Boschi, and that Mr. Boschi's two black Labradors were aggressive and scared him. "It was normal to have guns back home. Here it is not normal."

Aldo Dilorenzo, a 53-year- old Staten Island native with a ZZ -Top beard and a loud gravelly voice, said that he was hardly surprised by the news of Mr. Boschi's weapons cache. "I bet if you went into a lot of basements you would find some serious stashes," he said. Standing in front of a display of small, plastic American flags at his 99-cent store around the corner on Ocean Avenue, Mr. Dilorenzo, whom residents referred to as the town mayor, said, "This is the land where people where people are free to do whatever it takes to get noticed."

Known in the neighborhood as the Cowboy for his white cowboy hat with a Confederate flag emblazoned across the front, Mr. Boschi was variously described by neighbors as a survivalist, "a biker boy" and "that Rambo guy." He rode a Harley and liked to hunt, they said. He wore a crew cut and military fatigues, usually with a 10-inch hunting knife strapped to his side.

"Al was a very disciplined person," said Thomas Janul, 28, a construction worker, who described himself as a friend of Mr. Boschi's. Every day before work, Mr. Boschi, an electrician, met Mr. Janul for coffee at Brother's Bagels down the block.

"He did his job, protected his family and knew how to take care of business," Mr. Janul said. "I don't fault him for that."

Sept. 11, 2001, was a turning point, neighbors said. Mr. Boschi hung a four-foot effigy of Osama bin Laden from his porch, and kept it there for nearly a year after the attacks. He tried to sign up for military service but was too old, Mr. Janul said. He had the impression that the American soldiers fighting overseas were doing it simply for the money, and not out of any true sense of mission, Mr. Janul said. "It really bothered him," he said.

Some in the neighborhood said they were aware of Mr. Boschi's views.

"People knew where he stood," said Nick Manzi, 62, the owner of Sol's barbershop. But, he added, "I don't think anyone thought it went this far."

NYTimes.com > New York Region, 30 APR 2004

If all the guns were pre-ban, and he didn't have bombs, would he be able to sue for emotional distress and to get his stuff back?

"It was like he was getting ready for something really big," said John Peluso, an assistant special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. "But we have no idea what."

WTF?

Wasnt the frikken gubment telling us to stock up on fucking duct fucking tape and plastic sheets and food a while back? I think they have a website that tells you to have a supply of food on hand for fuck sakes! This stuff boils my friggin ass! What happened to good ole American self reliance? This guy sounds like a good guy trying to sign up after 9/11.
I dont get it. Shakes head, sighs.

ETA: OK, maybe the bombs are a bit much if that part is even true.

Quoted: ETA: OK, maybe the bombs are a bit much if that part is even true.

That's if those "bombs" weren't really Folger's cans filled with reloading powder.

Always enjoy finding the ironic comment.

"Aqim Bacqa, 68, a native Albanian living next door at 182 McLean Avenue, said that the raid had brought back bad memories of his war-torn homeland. He said he had made a habit of keeping his distance from Mr. Boschi, and that Mr. Boschi's two black Labradors were aggressive and scared him. "It was normal to have guns back home. Here it is not normal.

I've been wrackin my brain here for a while and I came up with a wild guess as to what he might have been preparing for. Its a reach so forgive if I seem a bit off the wall.
Maybe, just maybe, he was preparing for another terrorist attack? Nah, couldnt be. He must have forgot about 9/11 like the rest of the country and that asshat DEA agent.
Isnt Saten Island close to Manhattan?

They should kick that f'ing Albanian's ass back where it came from.  We dont need any more islam terrorist SOB's here.  

I love this crap.
AK-47 assault rifles, with deadly bayonet lugs!
pretty descriptive. 7 "homemade, fully functioning bombs" too.
It wouldn't suprise me if they were describing firecrackers.
And by the way, where were the drugs?
seems to me this guy was guilty of having sheep for neighbors.
Perhaps he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I failed
to see anywhere in the article how this guy warranted a full fledged,
multi-agency drug raid. (where were those drugs again?).
Suppose how screwed you would be if some malcontented blow hard
didn't like that you didn't edge your lawn as frequently as he did, or listened to loud music,
or, GASP! he saw you entering or leaving your house with a.. a... a.. GUN!
and thought it was his "duty" to report you ( annonymously, of course) to the
police that he saw guns and drugs in your house. Do you think agent smith
and the boys are gonna laugh it off as a friendly misunderstanding?
Try to imagine how some drooling reporter would describe some of the pictures
of " federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies" hauling all of your ammo,weapons,
cardboard boxes full of your cleaning chemicals, and God knows what else, to be showcased
as seizures from a "major bust" of an "extremist", armed with "deadly assault weapons,
thousands of rounds of ammunition, and bomb making materials". Under the right
circumstances, with a few misquotes from neighbors, who here could this article NOT be
describing?

Alongside the gas masks and chemical suits, the shelves were stacked with canned meat, jars of vegetables and bottled water - enough to feed his family for months, the police said.

I remember people doing this in anticipation of Y2K, the whole bunker bit and all, and nobody thought it was evidence of a terrorist, etc... What's changed? That he has guns?

10,000 rounds doesn't seem like a big stockpile, just ask fellow boardmembers or anyone who shoots their guns regularly. I try to keep 1,000 on hand, and I think that's a low number!

Quoted: who here could this article NOT be describing?

Oops...

There was another thread last week about this.

This happened in New York City.  He was arrested for having NYC (banned) assault weapons, unregistered rifles and handguns.   The search warrant was issued from a related drug investigation which indicated there were illegal weapons there.  Someone dropped a dime on him.

Quoted: yeah this is a repeat.

Yeah, well, I tried to use the Search function...

That guy's only crime was not having a way to protect himself from his own government.

Move along, theres nothing to be seen here

Quoted: Wasnt the frikken gubment telling us to stock up on fucking duct fucking tape and plastic sheets and food a while back? I think they have a website that tells you to have a supply of food on hand for fuck sakes! This stuff boils my friggin ass! What happened to good ole American self reliance? This guy sounds like a good guy trying to sign up after 9/11. I dont get it. Shakes head, sighs.

Duct tape, plastic sheeting, and food, correct, but nowhere does it say to stock firearms. Civilians in possession of firearms pose a possible threat to the security of this nation. It is precisely for this reason why the BATFE was moved from the treasury department to the LAW ENFORCEMENT branch of the office of homeland security. If those in government believed that armed civilians could be trusted and competent enough to defend against a foreign threat, then the priviledge to own all types of firearms ("assault weapons" and machineguns) would have been returned. Fortunately this administration is taking the common sense and reasonable route of restricting the availability of firearms that are subject to criminal misuse.

Peace be with you.

Quoted: Fortunately this administration is taking the common sense and reasonable route of restricting the availability of firearms that are subject to criminal misuse.

You are so full of shit sometimes....

Quoted: Fortunately this administration is taking the common sense and reasonable route of restricting the availability of firearms that are subject to criminal misuse.

Thank god! It's about time.

Quoted: "It was like he was getting ready for something really big," said John Peluso, an assistant special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. "But we have no idea what." WTF?

I read that quote to my GF and her response was "Maybe he was preparing for guys like you?"  

Quoted: Duct tape, plastic sheeting, and food, correct, but nowhere does it say to stock firearms. Civilians in possession of firearms pose a possible threat to the security of this nation. It is precisely for this reason why the BATFE was moved from the treasury department to the LAW ENFORCEMENT branch of the office of homeland security. If those in government believed that armed civilians could be trusted and competent enough to defend against a foreign threat, then the priviledge to own all types of firearms ("assault weapons" and machineguns) would have been returned. Fortunately this administration is taking the common sense and reasonable route of restricting the availability of firearms that are subject to criminal misuse. Peace be with you.

Now there is a full load of shit.

Sounds like a small collection of memorabilia to me.  Since the reporters and the governemt will LIE CHEAT AND STEAL they will say anything to make anybody sound as gilty as they can.

Quoted: Now there is a full load of shit. Sounds like a small collection of memorabilia to me.  Since the reporters and the governemt will LIE CHEAT AND STEAL they will say anything to make anybody sound as gilty as they can.

This has nothing to do with the WWE or Eddie Guerrero.

As I said in the other thread, I'd really like to see a copy of the affidavit for the search warrant on this one. Wave?

$20 says the Albian is drawing refugee status pay from Uncle Sugar and paid for by tax payers like us. Anybody want to take that bet? I'll throw another $20 that says the Albanian's house is subsidized by Uncle Sugar and comes with a low interest loan. Compliments of Uncle Sugar.... really Clinton.