A Mount Vernon man who admitted to burglarizing storage units in New Rochelle and later selling stolen firearms to an undercover state trooper has been sentenced to six years in state prison.
Zaid Lewis, 33, was sentenced Thursday, September 3, 2026, by Westchester County Court Judge George Fufidio. Lewis pleaded guilty July 23 to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree, and two counts of Burglary in the Third Degree. He was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision.
According to prosecutors, Lewis was involved in a series of burglaries at an Extra Space Storage facility on Huguenot Street in New Rochelle between September and November 2025. Among the property reported stolen were clothing, shoes, jewelry, ammunition, holsters and three firearms.
On September 18, 2025, prosecutors said Lewis met an undercover New York State Police trooper on Union Street in Mount Vernon and sold him several firearms and related items for $3,750.
The weapons included a .38-caliber Ruger revolver, a Glock 19 9mm pistol and a SIG Sauer P226 9mm pistol, along with two blank-firing pistols, ammunition, a speed loader and two holsters.
At the time of the undercover sale, however, investigators had not yet determined that the three firearms had been stolen.
Six Weeks Later, the Connection Was Made
The connection between the firearms and the New Rochelle burglaries emerged roughly six weeks later.
On September 20, New Rochelle police were notified that approximately $15,000 worth of property had been stolen from a storage unit. Investigators learned that someone had apparently gained access by cutting through a wire grid in the ceiling.
Three days later, the victim returned to the facility and saw two men pushing a cart covered with two distinctive blankets. One of the men was reportedly wearing a wine-colored Sergio Tacchini sweatsuit that had been stolen from the victim’s unit.
The victim followed the men and recorded them leaving the facility in a Chevrolet Suburban. The video was subsequently provided to police.
Investigators later learned that another storage unit—rented by a Mount Vernon firefighter—had also been burglarized.
On September 26, 2025, Lewis was a passenger in the Suburban when police stopped the vehicle. According to prosecutors, a bag inside the vehicle contained a document that had been stolen from the firefighter’s storage unit. Lewis was arrested on a burglary charge and was subsequently released without bail.
Then, in late October, police received a report of another burglary at the facility. A renter discovered that his unit had been ransacked and that a safe containing three firearms had been stolen.
The serial numbers of those firearms matched the three guns Lewis had sold to the undercover trooper six weeks earlier.
Another Gun Sale After His Arrest
Prosecutors said Lewis continued arranging firearm sales even after his September arrest.
On November 13, 2025, Lewis allegedly arranged for Alexander James, 34, to meet an undercover trooper on Washington Street in Mount Vernon. James entered the undercover vehicle and sold the trooper a Ruger SR9 pistol for $850.
James later pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon and is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
DA: Investigation Helped Prevent Further Violence
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace credited the coordinated investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
“Every illegal firearm that remains on our streets poses a serious threat to public safety, and removing these weapons before they can be used to inflict further harm is critical to protecting our residents,” Cacace said.
She added that the investigation demonstrated the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in identifying stolen firearms and those involved in their unlawful sale.
The investigation involved the New Rochelle Police Department, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, Westchester County Department of Public Safety and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office High Technology Crime Squad.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Mathieu Reno and Leigh Wellington of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office Trials Division.
Lewis will serve six years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
