A D.C. man, Corey Whittico, has admitted to the illegal possession of a loaded firearm with a machine gun conversion device. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to a federal firearms offense on Tuesday. Last year, on December 19, Whittico brandished the modified Glock during an Instagram live video while riding as a passenger in a vehicle in Northeast Washington.
Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were familiar with Whittico, viewed the live stream and subsequently located and stopped the vehicle. A search resulted in the discovery of over three pounds of what appeared to be marijuana and two Glock firearms, one of which was displayed in the Instagram video. The guns included a Glock 27 with machinegun conversion device and a Glock 45, each loaded with ammunition. The firearm's illegal alteration allows it to fire automatically and is often referred to as a "switch," according to a press release.
Whittico's criminal record had previously landed him convictions punishable by more than a year in prison, including a 2023 robbery conviction in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Under federal law, this prohibits him from legally possessing firearms. Whittico has been in custody since the date of the incident, and his sentencing is set for March 24, 2025. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The case, initially filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, escalated to the federal level with an indictment by a grand jury in January 2024. The investigation was carried out by the MPD’s Sixth District Crime Suppression Team and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Kyle R. Mirabelli are leading the prosecution, with support from other members of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
