An Evansville man with a history of felony convictions has received a seven-year sentence in federal prison for offenses related to a 3D-printed "ghost gun" and several machine gun conversion devices, known as "Glock switches." Marquel D. Payne, 39, was also ordered to complete three years of supervised release after his imprisonment, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
On January 31, while surveilling Payne's residence, noticed he had a 3D printer that they had been told was being used to illegally manufacture machine gun parts. The investigators quickly obtained search warrants for Payne's home and other locations he controlled. The searches revealed conversion devices, a homemade handgun without serial numbers, an AR-15 rifle, a printer, filament, a silencer, and ammunition. Due to his prior felony convictions, Payne's possession of these items was clearly illegal, as mentioned by the United States Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, emphasized the importance of restricting these devices, saying, "Getting illegal machinegun conversion devices off our streets is a critical public safety priority." As reported by the United States Attorney’s Office, Myers emphasized, "Fully automatic weapons and untraceable 'ghost guns' pose a serious danger to our communities, especially when they are in the hands of people who have no lawful business possessing any firearm."
The creation of the Evansville-Vanderburgh Crime Gun Intelligence Center, supported by a $700,000 federal grant. Prosecutor Diana Moers noted, "We are now seeing the fruits of our labor." The National Ghost Gun Initiative, launched in February 2022, focuses on combatting the distribution and use of untraceable firearms. This multi-agency collaboration, which includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Evansville Crime Gun Intelligence Center, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, led to the sentencing of Marquel D. Payne by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young, with Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger handling the prosecution, as stated by the United States Attorney’s Office.
