Georgia man accused of trafficking guns on Long Island pleads guilty in federal court
The U.S. District Courthouse in Central Islip. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
A Georgia man accused by federal prosecutors of a conspiracy to traffic guns to Long Island pleaded guilty at a hearing in Central Islip Wednesday.
Dennis Wolfolk, 29, formerly of Hempstead, admitted before United States Magistrate Judge Steven Locke to being a felon in possession of two 9 mm handguns that he said he intended to bring to Long Island in December 2020, when he was arrested by law enforcement in Georgia.
Wolfolk, now of Lovejoy, Georgia, was indicted last September along with Patrick Polidore, 32, of Powder Springs, Georgia, for transporting 27 guns across state lines between 2020 and 2021, 11 of which were recovered at local crime scenes, federal prosecutors said at the time.
As part of the plea agreement, each of the remaining 11 charges in the indictment against him, including conspiracy to deal firearms and making false statements to acquire firearms, will be dismissed, prosecutors said.
Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Bagnuola told the court federal sentencing guidelines suggest Wolfolk, who remains in federal custody, will likely face between 57 and 71 months in prison when he is sentenced in October.
Defense attorney Glenn Obedin of Central Islip declined to comment.
Prosecutors previously said Polidore, whose case is still pending, visited multiple gun dealers as a straw buyer, purchasing many of the handguns on the same date in Georgia.
Authorities said the two men conspired to buy 16 guns between Nov. 4 and 23, 2020, while Wolfolk, who was convicted of a felony weapons charge in 2016, was prohibited from possessing firearms before taking them to New York to be sold to street-level buyers.
At the time of the indictment, prosecutors said a .40 Glock handgun bought by Polidore was used in a Dec. 22, 2020 homicide in Hempstead. Another 16 firearms purchased by Polidore have not been recovered, prosecutors said.
One of the 27 guns was traced to a Nov. 25, 2020, shooting to Uniondale, where police said the gun was used to shoot at a vehicle. Police matched shell casings to a 9 mm Ruger handgun bought by Polidore two days earlier.
Police recovered the gun Jan. 31, 2021, during a traffic stop with three people, including a juvenile in Hempstead.
Police seized another .22 Walther handgun May 28, 2021, during a traffic stop in Patchogue, which was traced back to Polidore.
Another man was arrested Oct. 3, 2021, in Bethpage, found with a .40 Smith & Wesson that police said was used in an armed robbery. Prosecutors said Polidore had originally bought the gun and the same weapon was used in a December 2020 shooting in Hempstead.
Wolfolk is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 11.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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