From the U.S Attorney:
Federal Complaint Charges Chicago Man With Illegally Possessing Machine Gun Conversion Device
CHICAGO — A man has been charged in federal court with illegally possessing a machine gun conversion device in his Chicago residence last week.
Federal law enforcement on Thursday executed a court-authorized search of LATAVION JOHNSON’s residence on the South Side of Chicago and discovered the conversion device in a tool bag in Johnson’s bedroom, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. When equipped to a firearm, the conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch” or “auto sear,” allows the gun to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger.
The complaint alleges that Johnson posted videos on social media showing himself possessing a firearm equipped with a conversion device. Johnson also allegedly posted a photograph of a conversion device next to a stack of $20 bills.
The complaint charges Johnson, 22, with one count of possession of a machine gun, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. Johnson was arrested on Friday and remains in federal custody. A detention hearing is set for Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila M. Finnegan. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek Johnson’s continued pre-trial detention.
The complaint and arrest were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Saqib M. Hussain.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. The CGIC is a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. The CGIC is an interagency collaboration that brings together – under one roof – federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and intelligence analysts to move quickly to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
