A Hamilton man, prohibited from firearms due to past felonies, has been sentenced to five years in a federal prison after being caught with a cache that included a device for converting semi-automatic guns into machine guns, also known simply as a switch, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
35-year-old Justin Ervin, found with seven firearms one conversion device and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition in his residence following a police search related to a strangulation incident, has a history of convictions including robbery and arson that bar him from owning any firearms or ammunition; officers were originally at the house in response to that incident and ended up finding the weapons stash.
The search warrant executed by Hamilton police in May 2024, which unearthed the weapons, led to a federal indictment and Ervin's arrest in June of the same year; he subsequently pled guilty in October, the U.S. Attorney's Office detailed.
In the wake of Ervin's sentencing, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole, officials from various levels of law enforcement expressed satisfaction that a public safety risk had been mitigated with Acting United States Attorney Kelly A. Norris, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Columbus Field Division Thomas A. Greco, and Hamilton Police Chief Trent Chenowith—all had roles in the case and indicated the sentence as a collaborative triumph in their mission to uphold the law as well as protect the community.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Criminal Chief Christy L. Muncy represented the United States in prosecuting this case, which highlights the ongoing partnership between local and federal agencies to combat illegal firearm possession and related crimes.
