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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 7:45 a.m., Wednesday, December 24, 2008

NFL: Weapons, ammo, pants seized at Burress' NJ home

By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

A small cache of weapons and ammunition and the pants and sneakers that Plaxico Burress wore when he accidentally shot himself last month have been seized from the home of the New York Giants receiver, police said today.

A 9-mm handgun, a 30.06-caliber rifle and ammunition, including a clip for a .45 gun, were taken from Burress' home in Totowa, N.J., by authorities executing a search warrant Tuesday afternoon, police said.

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

Burress, a former Michigan State star, was charged with 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 three-hour search by Totowa police, four New York City detectives and a Brafman associate, said Totowa police chief Robert Coyle, 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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Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.