Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Floyd McNeil, 26, of Wyandanch, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found in possession of a loaded and defaced .40 caliber handgun while he was out on bail for a 2019 Attempted Murder charge in Nassau County.
“Incredibly, this defendant despite being charged with Attempted Murder, was released on bail, and was then caught possessing a loaded gun in Suffolk County,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This dangerous defendant should have never been released in the first place. This is a textbook example of what happens because New York law prevents prosecutors from arguing that a defendant is dangerous when seeking bail, which leaves prosecutors without recourse and allows those defendants back onto the streets to continue to commit crimes with no consideration given to public safety. I will continue to fight for commensurate changes to our bail laws to keep our streets safe.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on January 25, 2022, at approximately 12:13 p.m., McNeil, who was out on bond for a September 2019 Attempted Murder charge in Nassau County, was observed by members of the Suffolk County Police Department driving a 2015 Honda Accord while looking at his cell phone on Straight Path in Wyandanch. Police initiated a traffic stop and as officers approached McNeil’s vehicle, they observed him adjusting his jacket. While they spoke with McNeil, he appeared extremely nervous and again adjusted an object underneath his jacket.
McNeil, who gave authorities a false address, initially complied with the officer’s request to exit the vehicle, however, once outside the vehicle, he immediately fled on foot. When the officers caught up to McNeil, a brief struggle ensued, but he was ultimately placed under arrest. Once in custody, McNeil told the officers he had a gun. Police recovered a loaded and defaced .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol from a fanny pack he had around his chest and under his jacket.
While in custody on the Suffolk County weapons possession charge, McNeil was also indicted in Nassau County for a 2020 Murder. That case is still pending. In June 2022, McNeil was convicted at trial of the earlier Attempted Murder charge by a Nassau County jury, and was sentenced on December 6, 2022 to 25 years to life in prison.
Additionally, McNeil is a prior violent felony offender from a March 2017 conviction for Robbery in the First and Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision.
On September 29, 2022, McNeil pleaded guilty before County Court Judge, the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Jr., to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. On February 24, 2023, McNeil was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. McNeil was represented by Dave Besso, Esq. on his Suffolk County case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Pamela J. Bloomfield of the Major Crime Bureau.