Man, 39 years old, beaten with a firearm; allegedly threatened to shoot victim in Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, NY – A 39-year-old man was armed with a gun when he threatened to shoot a victim in New Brighton, authorities allege.

Abraham Fawaz is accused of the Dec. 29 incident at his Gordon Place home, according to police.

The suspect was previously convicted of welfare fraud scheme involving rental property.

In the firearm incident, the victim was a 27-year-old acquaintance, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Fawaz allegedly pushed the victim in the chest.

The defendant held a black handgun in his right jacket pocket and told the victim, “I’m going to shoot you,” the criminal complaint alleges.

Later that night, police found a 9mm handgun, a gray and black Smith & Wesson, in a closet in the defendant’s bedroom, according to the complaint.

Fawaz did not have a permit or license to possess the gun, the complaint states.

The defendant has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, assault, threats and harassment.

Fawaz pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on his own recognizance.

Attorney Matthew Zuntag, who represents the defendant, declined to comment at this time.

Section 8 Housing Fraud

Fawaz was convicted on March 1, 2022, of falsifying business records and sentenced in state Supreme Court in St. George to restitution and probation, according to the criminal complaint.

fawaz He defrauded the government of $13,000. by obtaining public assistance for a Clifton apartment he renovated and subleased, prosecutors said.

An indictment said the scheme ran from April 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018.

During that time, Fawaz illegally obtained financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 8 rental subsidy program for an apartment in the 100 block of Park Hill Avenue, police said. prosecutors.

HUD sent the rent money directly to the landlord, while Fawaz subleased the apartment to someone else, according to statements previously made in court.

The defendant pocketed his tenant’s rent payments, prosecutors said.

According to an investigation, Fawaz was arrested in September 2019.