MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal judge has sentenced a Memphis man to five years in federal prison for possessing 25 machine gun conversion devices, more commonly known as “switches," according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the sentence on April 29, 2024.
According to information presented in court, U. S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted a package from an overseas shipper addressed to Roosevelt Wilson, 43. There were 25 machine gun conversion devices inside, according to DOJ.
Machine gun conversion devices significantly enhance the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm, converting a gun designed to fire a bullet and quickly reload after each trigger pull to instead function as a fully automatic weapon, the press release said.
On Feb. 28, 2023, officers made a controlled delivery of the package, and when Wilson retrieved the package, the officers attempted arrest. Wilson then led officers on a high-speed pursuit through a residential neighborhood, tossing the package and a gun out of his car, the DOJ said.
Wilson pled guilty on Jan. 12, 2024, to possession of 25 machine gun conversion devices and to receiving and possessing 25 machine gun conversion devices that had been unlawfully imported into the United States. On April 25, 2024, United States District Thomas L. Parker sentenced Wilson to 60 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the DOJ.
