Bensonhurst is not the Florida Everglades: Couple indicted for keeping alligator, drugs, guns
Brooklyn isn’t the Florida Everglades, but a Bensonhurst couple is in trouble with the law for allegedly keeping an alligator in their house.
Michael Volpe, 32, and his wife Alisa Volpe, 25, have been indicted on several charges, not only for the alligator, but for keeping drugs and weapons in their West 6th Street home, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced on Dec. 4.
On Oct. 1, officers from the 66th Police Precinct executed a search warrant at the home of Michael and Alisa Volpe, a one-bedroom basement apartment. When the officers entered, they found metal knuckles, a fully-loaded revolver, and a loaded pistol, according to the indictment. Police also recovered a variety of prescription drugs including Alprazolam pills and Oxycodone pills, Hynes said. Marijuana was also found, the district attorney said.
In addition, there was an alligator, which was approximately three feet long, in a tank in the living room, according to the indictment. The alligator was taken away by Animal Care and Control. Under the New York State health code, people cannot possess wild animals without a special permit.