Judge Sentences NYC Man to 10 Years for Gunsmithing After Saying 2nd Amendment ‘Nonexistent’ in Courtroom

By Jeff Charles – Red State

Dexter Taylor, a Brooklyn-based software engineer, has been sentenced to a decade in prison for building firearms in his home using parts purchased legally. He was arrested after a SWAT raid in 2022, and a jury convicted him of 13 counts last month. Now, he is set to spend up to ten years behind bars for what many perceive as an egregious violation of his Second Amendment rights.

The sentence was handed down on Monday by Judge Abena Darkeh, who presided over Taylor’s trial. The judge’s handling of the case has been criticized, especially her decision to prohibit mention of the Second Amendment in the courtroom during the trial. In a previous interview, Vinoo Varghese, Taylor’s lawyer, described how Darkeh approached the Second Amendment issue.

“She told us, ‘Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom. It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York.’”

Varghese recounted the sentencing hearing, saying the judge “started off by whining about the fact that she was mocked by people” on social media. Darkeh indicated that she chose not to read many of the comments made by outraged users on social media platforms. The judge rejected Varghese’s request that Taylor be given the minimum sentence of three and a half years. She argued that Taylor knew he was breaking the law and that she did not care about his political views.

“This is a guy who’s an engineer who’s done so much good in life, didn’t have a record, and you sentenced him to 10 years when you could have given him three and a half,” Varghese said.

Taylor spoke with RedState from Riker’s Island just before his sentencing. He is in good spirits despite his predicament, saying that he is “up and easy as usual” and “100 percent on mission and 100 percent uppity.”

He has been playing “a lot of chess” and doing “a lot of push-ups” while “talking to a lot of good people.”

Taylor has also been in regular contact with his parents, daughter, and ex-wife, who he says are “holding up well.”

He discussed his trial and highlighted the issues he saw in how the proceedings were handled. He said that even though he had been briefed by his lawyer about how the trial would proceed, he was “still surprised by how in line the judge seemed to be with the prosecution” and that the bias ‘went all the way from jury selection to the trial process itself.”

Taylor recalled that it “seemed like we had three prosecutors in the courtroom, the two [assistant district attorneys] and the judge working in concert.”

Indeed, in a previous interview, Varghese characterized Judge Darkeh as “the most aggressive prosecutor in the room.”

 

During jury selection, Darkeh attempted to “rehabilitate potential jurors” who had shown “clear bias” against Taylor and his attorney.

Taylor also pointed out that the judge would sustain objections when none were given by the prosecution. “That happened multiple times, at least a dozen or more times during the trial, where she would simply say ‘sustained’ without the prosecution having lodged an objection.”

The engineer recounted what he felt on the day he was convicted.

In my mind, I just thought that this was something we prepared for. This was something that we were prepared to happen. It was always nice to think that we might get a jury that decided to nullify, but it was expected. I’ll say that. It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t a happy occasion, but it was expected.

Interestingly enough, Taylor said some of the officers who escorted him into the holding cell behind the courtroom after the verdict was read began discussing politics. “Literally, they were all talking about how this is nonsense. ‘Of course, you have a God-given right to keep and bear arms,’” he recalled the officers saying. He discussed his case with another sergeant who “thought it was a travesty.”

The next step in the process is to appeal the verdict, according to Varghese. Indeed, he told RedState that when it was Taylor’s turn to address the court, he called this step “the end of the beginning.”

When asked about the possibility that Taylor could get bail pending appeal so he could fight his case from outside of prison, the lawyer said, “It’s something that Dexter and I will have to discuss further. The chances are slim to none.”

Varghese continued: “Remember, these are all political appointees, and I don’t see a judge granting him bail pending appeal. So we may try, we may try and pray, but it’s highly unlikely.”

Taylor remains optimistic and understands that he is not only fighting for his freedom but for all Americans who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights. When asked if he believes his case will impact how gun laws are reformed in the United States, he said, “It remains to be seen.”

That is my hope. It’s my hope that, among other things, this case goes on to dismantle, or at least begin dismantling, New York State’s blatantly anti-constitutional regime of so-called gun control. That’s the least I hope this case can do. Aside from, obviously, wanting to get out of here, wanting to be set free, wanting to have my conviction overturned, what I hope is that this goes a decent way toward dismantling these laws, because … the state of New York has been getting away with murder for years. And it’s precisely because you couldn’t challenge these laws directly unless you had standing that these laws have been allowed to stand. So, I’m hoping that this changes things.

As for those pushing the type of laws that landed Taylor in prison, he is hoping they receive their comeuppance. He said he would like it “if the people running our state … would be made to pay a political price for what they’ve done here … for lying to us about public safety, for pretending that this agenda is about public safety and not control.”

Taylor’s family has created a GiveSendGo to help with his legal fees as he prepares to fight his case, which could go as high as the Supreme Court.