3 from Montgomery sentenced for illegal possession of machineguns

Three men from Montgomery have been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of illegal possession of machineguns, said an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama. 

The announcement said that there were two cases involving defendants who were being tried for using conversion switches on semi-automatic firearms to make them fully automatic. 

Deandre Nyquan Lucas, 20, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for the charge. In the second, unrelated case Cammeron Leroy Youngblood, 23, was sentenced to 27 months and Dontrell Taylor, 27, was given a 21-month sentence. 

The announcement said that conversion switches are capable of allowing a weapon to shoot up to 20 rounds per second with just one pull of the trigger. In addition to up to years in prison, a $250,000 fine is a penalty under the relevant federal statute for illegally possessing a machinegun. 

“Due to their rapid rate of fire, these conversion devices pose a significant threat to communities and law enforcement,” stated United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. “Not too long ago, these devices were rare. Unfortunately, in a very short period of time, they have become common in communities across the district."

"The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners place a high priority on investigating and prosecuting cases involving the possession of one of these devices.”

The cases were part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a violent crime reduction program and were investigated by the  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Montgomery Police Department with assistance from the United States Marshals Service.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates, John J. Geer, III, Justin L. Jones, and Michelle R. Turner.