Colorado man accused of possessing prohibited firearms, Nazi memorabilia

DENVER — A Colorado man is accused of possessing 18 firearms, potentially destructive devices and Nazi memorabilia and drawings, federal authorities said Monday.

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According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, Dean Fabiano, 36, of Thornton, was arrested on Sept. 6 and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

According to federal prosecutors, Fabiano has “multiple felony convictions” that prevent him from owning a firearm. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Fabiano’s home on Sept. 6 and found the 18 firearms, along with various firearms parts, suspected drugs, potential destructive devices and the Nazi drawings and memorabilia.

Agents also found a letter from a storage facility where Fabiano rented a unit, prosecutors said. After obtaining a search warrant, agents discovered more firearms and parts.

The investigation began after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized a package from China labeled “TOYS” and came from a company that agents believe has sent gun parts and counterfeit merchandise into the U.S., KDVR-TV reported.

The package allegedly contained two Glock switches and was addressed to Fabiano, according to the television station. Neither of the switches had serial numbers.

Legal analyst George Brauchler, a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, University of Denver, and the U.S. Army JAG School, told KDVR that the case was “interesting.”

“What I found fascinating was that the feds had been tracking the importation of various trigger devices that would cause semi-automatic handguns, like the ones this guy possessed, to become fully automatic, and other silencers -- we call them suppressors,” Brauchler told the television station. “They’ve been tracking places in China that had been shipping them to the U.S. and disguising them as toys or other similarly weighted devices, and so they were on the lookout for this.”

Brauchler called the discovery of the Nazi memorabilia “troubling” but was protected by the First Amendment,” KDVR reported. The complaint did not list any evidence of a specific threat.

Fabiano made his first appearance in court on Sept. 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.