LI Man Pleads Guilty For Firing Shots From Basement Home: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A North Massapequa man pleaded guilty on Monday to drug and weapon charges in connection to illegally having more than a dozen firearms and a pound of cocaine during a search of his basement, prosecutors said.

Steven Frigand, 58, had fired dozens of shots out of his basement apartment striking neighbors' homes last August, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment.

"The defendant’s thoughtless and cavalier behavior put a child in harm’s way, when a bullet tore through the young boy’s bedroom as he slept," Donnelly said.

Two of the bullets entered the home next door, one of which narrowly missed a child asleep in his bed and the homeowner who had gone to check on the child, the DA's office said.

When police arrived at the scene, Frigand was in the basement and refused to come out for more than an hour despite police orders, Donnelly said.

A search warrant executed on the basement later that day recovered:

• 18 weapons, including six assault rifles, seven additional rifles, four shotguns and a revolver
• 40 high-capacity magazines
• Hundreds of rounds of ammunition
• Multiple shell casings, bullets, and bullet fragments
• More than 27 ounces of cocaine and drug paraphernalia

Frigand is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 25, Donnelly said.