A Memphis man has been handed an 11-year federal prison sentence for possession of a machinegun and a batch of Fentanyl large enough to raise serious concern. Christopher Young, who also goes by Christopher Minnis, will face the consequences of his actions, which include not only the drugs and the weapon but also fleeing police. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentencing yesterday.
It was back on December 9, 2021, when Memphis Police observed Young's erratic driving. Officers noted the black Chevrolet Corvette he was driving sported fraudulent tags. Following an attempted traffic stop, Young chose evasion over compliance, initiating a police chase that ended in his neighbor's backyard. "At the time of his arrest, Young had 121.81 grams of Fentanyl and a Glock 9mm caliber pistol with an extended magazine in his possession," as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The rather ominous addition of a Machinegun Conversion Device, also known as a "switch," transformed the Glock into a fully automatic firearm.
Young's legal journey concluded on January 6, 2025, when he pled guilty before United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker. The April 10 sentencing saw Young facing 132 months of imprisonment and a subsequent four-year term of supervised release. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin, with the investigative cooperation of the Memphis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Under federal law, Young has no possibility of parole.
