A Hamilton man, previously barred from firearm possession due to a felony conviction, has admitted to having guns, including an illegally modified fully automatic weapon, in his possession. Justin Ervin, aged 35, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the unlawful possession of firearms and a machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a "switch," per a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Ervin entered his guilty plea, facing a recommended sentence of 60 months in prison. The events unfolded back in May 2024 when local law enforcement searched Ervin's residence following a strangulation incident, to which Ervin has pleaded guilty in state court. The search unearthed seven firearms, one of which carried a conversion device and a hefty cache of over 2,000 rounds of ammunition.
Ervin, having previous run-ins with the law for robbery and arson, is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. This latest indictment and subsequent arrest in June 2024 have once more placed Ervin in the judicial spotlight. The details of the possession came to light through an announcement by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, with additional context provided by Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, as well as Hamilton Police Chief Trent Chenowith.
