Two Albany residents, Iziah Cox and Kaya Cox, were arrested as part of a fraud investigation known as Operation Tidal Wave. The operation involved searches at more than 15 locations and led to the seizure of 134 firearms from properties in Albany, Troy, and storage units in Menands. Iziah Cox was also charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.
Authorities allege that the brothers operated a scheme in spring 2025 using false statements to banks. They reportedly used names of legitimate businesses without permission to create New York State business entities and Albany County “Doing Business As” (DBA) registrations. These trade names were then used to open multiple bank accounts to collect funds from domestic and international scams targeting real companies.
Many of the seized firearms were found hidden inside stereo equipment during court-authorized searches. The defendants face conspiracy charges for making false statements to financial institutions, which carry up to five years in prison, fines up to $250,000, and supervised release terms up to three years. Iziah Cox faces an additional firearm charge with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Both men appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista in federal court in Albany earlier this week and were ordered detained pending trial.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III described the case as significant for the region: “This is one of the largest firearms seizures, if not the largest firearms seizure, in the history of the Northern District of New York. The number of firearms is significant, but more important are the many lives saved as a result of Operation Tidal Wave now that these guns cannot be used to kill and maim people. Albany and Troy are much safer today than they were last week. This is what happens when federal, state and local law enforcement work together, which has been one of my top priorities since taking office five months ago.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “This seizure, one of the largest ever recorded in our district, is the direct result of the tremendous partnerships displayed throughout Operation Tidal Wave. These guns will never make it into the hands of dangerous criminals looking to wreak havoc in our communities. The FBI is grateful to our partners for standing shoulder to shoulder with us in our shared goal of keeping our communities safe.”
Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox commented on ongoing efforts against gun violence: “Operation Tidal Wave represents our ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence. By seizing this large amount of illegal firearms, we have directly prevented these weapons from being used to harm our community. Each firearm removed from our streets is one less threat to our neighborhoods. The Albany Police Department is grateful for our partnerships we have with our federal, state and local agencies. Together, we are committed to protecting the public and holding offenders accountable.”
Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf added: “I’m thrilled and proud we took this many guns off the street, and also of the collaboration that led to these historic seizures. We are all working together to achieve our collective mission of reducing violent crime.”
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Albany Regional Financial Crimes Taskforce with assistance from several agencies including Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York State Comptroller’s Office, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, Albany Police Department, Troy Police Department, New York State Police, Capital Region Crime Analysis Center and New York State Intelligence Center.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal, Matthew M. Paulbeck, and Benjamin S. Clark are prosecuting these cases.
