An Indianapolis man with a previous history of firearms offenses has been handed down a 37-month federal prison sentence for the illegal possession of a so-called "Glock switch," a device that can transform a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon, according to United States Attorney's Office.
21-year-old Jaquan Robinson pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun after his apartment was searched by local probation officers. In the living room, they found a backpack with the frame of a Glock handgun and mail addressed to Robinson. The subsequent court-authorized search turned up a safe in his bedroom containing his ID and the Glock switch. Robinson admitted to knowingly possessing the conversion device, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Further investigation into Robinson's Facebook messages revealed attempts to acquire additional handgun parts to complete a fully-functional machinegun.
Federal law classifies such conversion devices as machineguns in their own right, illegal for individuals to both possess and sell. Robinson's rap sheet includes a felony conviction for bringing a firearm into a school in September 2021 and another firearms offense in June 2022 after a foot chase with the police. At the time of his latest arrest, there were also pending firearms charges against him in Michigan. His repeated violations of federal firearms laws have led to this recent significant sentence.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers declared his intent, in partnership with the ATF and local authorities, to vigorously prosecute such offenses in hopes to make the community safer. Project Safe Neighborhoods, a crime reduction strategy launched by the Department of Justice, plays into these local efforts.
The prosecution, led by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nate Walter, is part of a collaboration with the City of Indianapolis to curtail violent crimes in the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) handled the investigation leading to Robinson's sentence by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon. U.S. Attorney Myers expressed gratitude towards the dedicated work of all involved in taking Robinson's case from arrest to sentencing.
