A Boston man, Michael Wilkerson, aged 23, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for his involvement in distributing illegal machinegun conversion devices. After his prison term, he'll be under supervised release for two years. This was announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
In February, Wilkerson admitted to one count of engaging in the firearm trade without a license. He collaborated with accomplice Elijah Navarro in manufacturing gadgets that can convert legal semi-automatic guns into illegal fully automatic weapons. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in January 2023, Navarro negotiated a deal to sell a dozen of these illicit items for $1,700. After a couple of meetings at a pre-arranged location, Navarro handed over the first two for $400, and then sold the rest for an additional $1,300 at Wilkerson’s residence.
Their operation came to a halt in February 2023 when federal agents raided Wilkerson's residence. They seized two 3-D printers, printing materials, the outlawed conversion devices, a ballistic vest, firearms, as well as ammo and magazines. These two budding arms dealers were conducting business without licenses, which is a significant violation in the gun trade.
Navarro, who also pleaded guilty in December, is next in line for his court appearance. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, ATF's James M. Ferguson, and Boston's Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox revealed the details of Wilkerson’s wrongdoing. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit handled the case.
