In Jacksonville, a local man has received a federal prison sentence for firearms violations. Mar’Kesie Williams, 28, will serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing a machine gun, according to the United States Attorney's Office website. The sentence was issued by United States District Judge Wendy M. Berger.
In March of last year, a property manager cleaning an apartment thought to be vacant found Williams armed with a converted firearm, as reported by the United States Attorney's Office. When officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrived, they discovered a firearm on a mattress above Williams. The weapon was identified as a loaded Glock pistol that had been modified into what federal law defines as a machine gun by the addition of a Glock switch.
Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro led the prosecution for this case. The investigation was a joint effort between local law enforcement and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods, includes this case as part of its initiative. The Department of Justice unites law enforcement agencies at all levels with the communities they serve "to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone," as stated on the United States Attorney's Office website.
