Property manager arrested in connection with possible Las Vegas bio lab faces federal firearm charge

The man charged in connection with the possible illicit biological lab operation in Las Vegas allegedly had a hefty cache of firearms stashed in his house that were illegal for him to have, according to a federal criminal complaint.  

Ori Solomon, the property manager of the residence where the alleged bio lab was located, was arrested over the weekend, police said.

When authorities searched his home in Las Vegas on Saturday as part of the investigation into the alleged bio lab, they discovered bullets lying on Solomon’s computer stand and a black Glock semi-automatic in a nearby cabinet, according to the complaint. Their warrant didn’t cover seizing the guns, so they had to leave them there, the complaint said.

During a jailhouse call to his adult daughter on Sunday, Solomon allegedly asked about the firearms, according to the complaint. 

“Is there any guns left? Is there any guns left in the house or did they confiscate it?” he asked, according to the complaint. A “female voice” responded that “the three rifles, I think they found the lockbox with the pistol, but they couldn’t open it,” the complaint stated. 

Federal authorities got a warrant and went back to Solomon’s residence to seize the guns on Monday, according to the complaint.

“Numerous firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories” were seized, including several semi-automatic handguns and an assault rifle, according to the complaint.

Solomon is in the U.S. on a temporary work visa that “precludes him from owning or possessing a firearm,” the complaint stated.

He was federally charged with violation of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The complaint charged him under the name Ori Salomon, though it noted he also goes by Ori Solomon.

He has additionally been charged in Nevada for felony disposal/ discharge of hazardous waste in an unauthorized manner in connection with the alleged illicit bio lab, located in a residence in northeast Las Vegas. 

Local and federal investigators are working to determine what substances were found in the property, with over 1,000 samples sent for testing, authorities said.

The “potential biological and hazardous materials” were primarily located in a locked garage in the residence, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press briefing on Monday.

In the garage, investigators found multiple refrigerators with vials of unknown liquids, unknown liquids in gallon-size containers, a centrifuge and other laboratory equipment, authorities said.

The evidence has since been transported to an FBI lab for testing, according to the sheriff. 

The owner of the property where the suspected bio lab was located was arrested and charged in 2023 in connection with an investigation into an illegal bio lab in Reedley, California, authorities said. The owner, a Chinese national, remains in federal custody and has pleaded not guilty.