SUSSEX COUNTY – A Sussex County man is facing anywhere from 10 years to life in prison after being charged with possessing an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, along with white supremacist and racist propaganda, announced US Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Joseph Rubino, 57, of Lafayette Township, was charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
Rubino’s court date has yet to be determined.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, NJ State Police officers noticed numerous weapons and ammunition inside Rubino’s vehicle after an accident on July 24, 2019. With a search warrant, officers searched Rubino’s vehicle and residence, discovering the following items:
- Intratec Arms Model TEC-DC9 semi-automatic assault handgun
- Cobray Arms Mac-11 9mm semi-automatic assault pistol with a high-capacity magazine
- Keltec CMR30 .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle loaded with 16 .22 caliber hollow-point cartridges
- High Standard Derringer .22 caliber double-barrel handgun
- Polymer 80 9mm semi-automatic handgun
- Ithaca M-66 20-gauge single shotgun
- Remington Model 700 .223 caliber bold action rifle with scope
- Thompson Center .50 caliber muzzle-loading rifle with scope
- Remington Model 870 Wingmaster 12-gauge pump shotgun
- New England Firearms 20-gauge single shot shotgun
- Remington Model 760 .300 Savage pump rifle
- Glenfield Mod 60 .22 LR caliber semi-automatic rifle
- Two sawed-off double-barrel shotgun barrels
- Several high-capacity magazines
- Numerous silencers
- An assault rifle scope
- A grenade launcher
- A ballistics vest
- Numerous additional ammunition of various calibers.
In addition to the arsenal of weapons and ammo, authorities recovered approximately 70 grams of methamphetamine, seven kilograms of marijuana, and 200 marijuana vape cartridges from Rubino’s house. Rubino also had a box containing clothing and bumper stickers with “SS Bolts,” which are common white supremacist and neo-Nazi symbols, as well as a document entitled “N****r Owner’s Manual,” containing racist material and purporting to be an instruction manual for owning a slave.
Rubino faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison on the count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. The count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime could mean life in prison.
