FBI arrests NY man, 61, who allegedly had explosives, 30+ firearms, ghost guns, 'anarchist' bomb-making book

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Westchester man was arrested on Wednesday and charged after the FBI found explosives, ghost guns, an anarchist bomb-making book, among other alarming items, according to prosecutors.

James Neff, 61, of Dobbs Ferry, was charged with the possession of a firearm and ammunition after a felony conviction, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced.

According to court documents, following an investigation law enforcement conducted a search on May 1 into Neff’s residence and two storage units rented by him where they found over 30 firearms, including firearms that appear to be personally manufactured and assault rifle-style firearms.

The FBI also found a significant amount of ammunition and suspected explosives-related materials, including multiple books on how to make homemade or improvised explosives, such as  “The Anarchist Arsenal, Improvised Incendiary and Explosives Techniques,” “How to Bury Your Goods,” and multiple volumes of the “Improvised Munitions Black Book.”

During the search, law enforcement also found suspected precursors to explosives, suspected low explosives, and other items consistent with the preparation of homemade explosive devices. After these items were found, Neff admitted to owning them and storing them in his house and storage units, according to prosecutors.

“As alleged, James Neff, some 23 years after having been convicted on similar state charges for criminal possession of a weapon, has again illegally stockpiled numerous firearms, including what appear to be assault rifles and personally manufactured firearms, or ‘ghost guns,’ a significant amount of ammunition, and suspected materials and paraphernalia consistent with suspected homemade and improvised explosive devices,” Williams said.

Neff, who served two years in state prison, is now charged with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Neff was released on parole on Dec. 7, 2004.

“There is no reasonable explanation to justify the arsenal law enforcement discovered, and convicted felons with access to such armaments pose an incredible threat to public safety,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said.

Williams added that an investigation into this incident is ongoing.