Registered Sex Offender Arrested for Alleged Firearms Cache

A registered sex offender living in Cato, New York is under arrest after a cache of firearms and accessories was allegedly found in his home.

34-Year old Cayuga County resident Brandon Giambalvo was taken into custody on Monday, March 16, 2015 by New York State Police after two search warrants were executed at his Weller Road home.

Photo Credit: New York State Police

He is being held without bail at the Cayuga County Jail.

The investigation by the NYSP Community Narcotic Enforcement (CNET) unit allegedly yielded the following:

Seven (7) Assault rifles
Four (4) AR15-style lower assemblies
Two (2) .45 caliber semi auto handguns
One (1) 9mm semi auto handgun
More than one hundred (100) high-capacity magazines
Body armor/bullet proof vest
Two (2) Firearm silencers
More than ten thousand (10,000) rounds of ammunition

In addition Giambalvo was also said to have a laptop computer which, as a registered sex offender, is in violation of his conditions of release.

Giambalvo was initially arrested on a felony charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the first degree pending further investigation. Additional charges are pending determination as to whether or not some of the weapons, many of which did not have serial numbers, are capable of firing on "full auto." Investigators say this process requires test firing the weapons and may take some time.

Troopers say that Giambalvo is the same man who was convicted in 2009 on a charge of Rape in the 3rd degree for an incident that took place in 2007 involving the assault of a 15-year-old girl. He was sentenced to two years in prison for that crime.

Brandon Giambalvo (c 2009) Photo Courtesy: NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

The several NYSP agencies participating in this investigation were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, New York State Parole, and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office.

Brandon Giambalvo (January 2015) Photo Courtesy: NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services