Thursday, December 25, 2008

Plaxico Burress in the headlines again...but not for catching touchdowns


TOTOWA, N.J. (AP)—The bloody pants that Plaxico Burress wore when he accidentally shot himself last month, plus a handgun, a rifle and an assortment of ammunition were seized Tuesday by authorities from the home of the New York Giants receiver.

In addition to a 9-mm handgun, a .30-06-caliber rifle and the ammunition, including a clip for a .45 gun, police also said they recovered the sneakers that Burress wore during the accidental shooting during the three-hour search of the Super Bowl star’s Totowa home.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the weapons are registered, so it is unclear whether Burress will face additional charges.

Totowa police chief Robert Coyle said it would is hard to successfully prosecute someone if they have legally registered weapons in one state and stored them in New Jersey.

Burress still faces two felony gun-possession charges following the accidental shooting at a Manhattan nightclub last month.

Benjamin Brafman, the receiver’s criminal attorney, said Wednesday morning that he believed that only a registered rifle was taken from the home. He did not know whether Burress would face additional charges.

"We have not had a chance to review this new information," Brafman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday morning. "When we do, we will have additional comment."

Burress was not at home during the search by Totowa police, four New York City detectives and a Brafman associate, Coyle said, adding the player's wife was present.

Brafman said his client was out of town but did not elaborate.

The New York Post reported that authorities discovered a suitcase full of money, but Coyle said that was not true.

Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Nov. 29 when he fumbled with an unlicensed handgun tucked into the waistband of his sweat pants. He checked himself into New York-Cornell Hospital and later turned himself in to police.

The Giants suspended Burress for the rest of the season and also withheld $1 million owed to him as part of his signing bonus.

Burress is due back in court March 31 and faces up to 3½ years in prison on each count.

Burress was also sued last week in Florida's Broward County Circuit Court for rear-ending a woman in May while driving his nearly $140,000 Mercedes-Benz.

According to a document provided by the woman's attorney, his car insurance lapsed three days before the crash. A letter from Allstate says Burress neglected to pay his premiums.

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