Houston felon sent to prison for possessing machine gun

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 28-year-old Houston man has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm and machine gun conversion devices (MCDs), announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Lenard Butler pleaded guilty April 22.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now handed Butler a 37-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

On May 28, 2022, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Challenger on Highway 59 near Edna. Butler was driving.

At that time, they detected an odor of marijuana and asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle - including weapons - which Butler denied. He stated he had smoked marijuana "hours ago."

Authorities conducted a search of the vehicle which resulted in the discovery of a small baggie of marijuana residue and a Glock pistol located under the front passenger seat. Attached to the firearm was a gold MCD with the word "Glock" inscribed on the back of the device.

MCDs alter the firing mechanism of the guns to allow them to fire multiple shots automatically. MCDs are considered machine guns under the law and are illegal to possess.

Additionally, as a convicted felon Butler is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Booth prosecuted the case.