Two Georgia men indicted in gun trafficking that brought guns to LI crimes

Two Georgia men have been indicted on charges they trafficked 27 guns to Long Island, 11 of which were recovered in local crime scenes, federal prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said Patrick Polidore, 32, of Powder Springs Georgia, and Dennis Wolfork, 29, of Lovejoy, Georgia, were both indicted on 11 counts of conspiracy to deal firearms and making false statements to acquire firearms. Polidore was arraigned Wednesday in U.S. Eastern District of New York court in Central Islip while Wolfork, who is in custody in Georgia, faces arraignment at a later date.

“As alleged, these defendants illegally trafficked over two dozen guns across state lines, distributing them to street-level buyers in New York where at least 11 were then used in numerous violent crimes, including multiple shootings across Long Island,” Eastern District Attorney U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said: “Illegal firearms are flooding into Long Island every day and causing untold destruction. To date, our county law enforcement partners have seized 272 weapons in 2022. As of this date last year, that number was 193. Patrick Polidore and Dennis Wolfolk are part of that problem."

Attorneys for the two men could not be reached for comment.

The two men are accused of illegally buying and transporting the guns between October 2020 and 2021, where prosecutors said Polidore visited multiple gun dealers as a straw buyer, buying many of the handguns on the same date in Georgia.

Authorities said the two men conspired to buy 16 guns between Nov. 4 and Nov. 23, 2020, while Wolfork, a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing firearms before they were taken to New York to be sold to street level buyers.

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 in a shooting 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 where Wolfork previously lived.

Police seized another .22 Walther handgun May 28, 2021 during a traffic stop in Patchogue, which was tied 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.