UPDATE: Former Westchester Pizzeria Owner Had Unsecured, Loaded Assault Weapons Steps from Son's Bedroom

By Wendy Ann Mitchell (Patch Staff)

UPDATE—Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 2:45 p.m.: The Connecticut man charged with making and selling illegal rifles and handguns grew up in Westchester and owned a pizzeria, which has since closed.

A neighbor of Michael Giannone, who said she didn't want to be identified, told Patch the New Fairfield resident was raised in Chappaqua and owned Bella Ella’s Pizzeria in Croton Falls.

A police report released Tuesday revealed Giannone had loaded assault weapons in an unlocked office closet just steps away from his 9-year-old son’s bedroom.

When police questioned Giannone's wife about the unsecured firearms in nearby proximity to her son's bedroom she said her son is "intellectual and academic" and would not touch them.

"Mostly they're locked up in the closet," Mrs. Giannone told police. "My son does not like firearms. He's not a shooter. It's not a big deal to him. My son's an intellectual and an academic. He stays away from this."

The Department of Children and Families has been contacted and is investigating the matter, however, police did not say whether or not the child has been removed from the home.

According to court records, Giannone faced a judge in Danbury Superior Court on Tuesday and pleaded "not guilty" to all charges. He is next due in court July 12, 2016.

Original story:

New Fairfield, CT — After a months-long investigation by Connecticut's Statewide Urban Violence Crime Control Task Force, a New Fairfield man was arrested and charged with illegally manufacturing and selling assault rifles out of his New Fairfield home, police said.

Detectives conducted an investigation and obtained a search warrant for Michael Giannone, 44, who was taken into custody on March 24 after an investigation, police said. The investigation was officially completed on Tuesday when police released the report.

On March 24, police followed Giannone's white BMW as he dropped his 9-year-old son off at school. Detectives said he was in possession of a firearm while on school property and took him into custody before searching his Merlin Avenue home.

While in the police cruiser, Giannone told detectives that he made and sold assault rifles for gun shows and that he was on the verge of bankruptcy after a failed attempt at running an unnamed Westchester pizza restaurant. He told police he lost more than $700,000 on the pizzeria but "does well" at selling guns at gun shows.

Giannone told detectives that he makes finished and unfinished assault rifles and does everything "by the book." He told detectives that he recently sold a Bushmaster, and when police searched his residence, they found 59 complete firearms, 48 of which were legal after. Police said the nine unregistered weapons they found were assault rifles that did not have serial numbers.

Police also found more than 10,000 live rounds of ammunition, 12 illegal AR-15 lower receivers without serial numbers, 65 illegal high-capacity magazines, one rifle with an illegal silencer and two additional silencers.

Giannone was charged with firearms trafficking, two counts of possession of assault weapon, two counts of sale of assault weapons, possession/sale of high-capacity magazine and illegal firearms transfer. He was also charged with nine counts of possession of assault weapons, three counts of possession of silencers, 65 counts of possession of high-capacity magazine, improper storage of firearms, risk of injury to a minor and possession of a weapon on school grounds.

He will face a judge on Tuesday and was given bond of $100,000.

Courtesy photo