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By Toby Meyjes
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A man charged in an investigation into an alleged biolab operation in Las Vegas has also been accused of illegally keeping firearms in his home, according to multiple reports citing a federal complaint.
Ori Solomon, 55, the property manager of the location where the alleged laboratory was discovered, faces state charges for allegedly disposing and discharging hazardous waste, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said in a press conference on Monday.
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Newsweek, he is also accused of illegally keeping firearms, including a Glock handgun, after a federal search warrant was issued for his residence on February 2.
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Suspected Las Vegas Biolab
The FBI and LVMPD carried out a search warrant on a house in Sugar Springs Drive between Saturday and Monday, when they found potentially hazardous substances stored in a locked garage.
Solomon, is one of two suspects charged in the case. The other, who is the owner of the residence on Sugar Springs Drive, is already in federal custody on charges related to the investigation of a biolab in Reedley, California, in 2023. According to ABC News, the owner, a Chinese national, pleaded not guilty.
Officials say the items found in the California home were “possibly associated with a range of infectious diseases,” including hepatitis, COVID-19, HIV and malaria.
LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during the press conference that the items discovered in the Las Vegas investigation are “consistent in appearance” with the ones recovered in California, although it is not yet determined if they are the same.
Who Is Ori Solomon?
Solomon is the property manager for two properties on Sugar Springs Drive and Temple View Drive. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center for allegedly disposing and discharging hazardous waste, according to an LVMPD press release.
A criminal complaint said Solomon, who holds French and Israeli passports and is in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa, is barred from possessing firearms.
According to the court documents, LVMPD officials discovered two 9 mm bullets, a black Glock semi-automatic pistol and small lock box while executing a state search warrant at his home on January 31. However, the firearms were left in the residence because the warrant did not authorize seizure.
The complaint says Solomon asked, "Is there any guns left?" during a phone call from custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
A federal search warrant was issued and law enforcement "seized numerous firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories," the complaint said. He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
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