Kew Gardens Man Sentenced After Authorities Uncover Massive Illegal Weapons Arsenal

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A fatal early-morning confrontation on a quiet Kew Gardens street led investigators to uncover what prosecutors described as one of the most alarming illegal weapons stockpiles discovered in a Queens residence in recent years — an arsenal that authorities say posed a serious and ongoing danger to public safety.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced this week that Charles Foehner, 67, of 82nd Road in Kew Gardens, has been sentenced to four years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

The case traces back to the early hours of May 31, 2023, when police responded to a shooting near 82nd Avenue and Queens Boulevard. According to investigators, Foehner became involved in a confrontation that ended with the fatal shooting of Cody Gonzalez, 32. Although the incident resulted in a death, prosecutors ultimately chose not to file criminal charges related to the shooting itself, citing prosecutorial discretion based on the facts uncovered during the investigation.

What followed, however, transformed the case entirely.

Later that same day, detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant at Foehner’s apartment. Inside, they uncovered a cache of weapons and ammunition that stunned law enforcement officials: 26 unlicensed and unregistered firearms, 13,074 rounds of ammunition, 152 large-capacity feeding devices, including 10 that were loaded, and two bulletproof vests. Among the firearms were pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and multiple assault weapons, nearly all of them fully operational.

“This stockpile was not a collection of your grandfather’s harmless, inoperable, antique weapons,” DA Katz said in a statement. “This was an arsenal of lethal firearms and assault weapons possessed in full violation of New York State law.”

Foehner was arrested the following day, June 1, 2023, at the 102nd Precinct, and charged with multiple felony weapons offenses. Prosecutors noted that the volume and nature of the weapons — particularly the assault-style firearms and high-capacity feeding devices — significantly elevated the seriousness of the case, especially given their presence in a densely populated residential neighborhood.

After more than two years of legal proceedings, Foehner pleaded guilty on November 20, 2025, to one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. This week, Toni Cimino, a Queens Supreme Court Justice, imposed a four-year prison sentence, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Samuel Pellegrino of the Queens District Attorney’s Career Criminals and Major Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael Whitney, Deputy Chiefs Roni C. Piplani and Timothy Regan, and Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.

For residents of Kew Gardens and surrounding Queens neighborhoods, the case has been a sobering reminder of how significant threats can remain hidden in plain sight. The discovery that thousands of rounds of ammunition, assault weapons, and body armor were stored inside an apartment just blocks from major thoroughfares has left many unsettled.

While broader debates continue over gun laws and self-defense, local officials emphasized that the outcome of this case reflects a clear principle: illegal possession of weapons — particularly on this scale — will be met with serious consequences. With the sentencing complete, authorities say a dangerous arsenal has been permanently removed from the community, bringing closure to a case that began with a single violent encounter and ended with a decisive response from the justice system.