Arkansas man guilty of possessing machinegun conversion device

BEAUMONT, Texas - A Little Rock, Arkansas, man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.

Jajuan Lee Bonds, 23, pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on July 2, 2024.

According to information presented in court, on July 21, 2022, an officer with the Corrigan Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Bonds. The officer observed what appeared to be marijuana in a clear plastic baggie in the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, the officer located a firearm outfitted with a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a "Glock Switch". The modified handgun had been previously reported stolen. Federal law defines a machinegun as a weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

Bonds' plea comes less than a month after Diggs and U.S. Attorneys for the Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas announced, "Operation Texas Kill Switch," a statewide initiative targeting illegal machinegun conversion devices. At a June 10, 2024, press conference, U.S. Attorney Diggs stated that, "machinegun conversion devices are incredibly dangerous and pose an unacceptable risk to the public and law enforcement." Diggs went on to say, "they're also illegal and simply possessing a machinegun conversion device-let alone firing one-comes along with a hefty prison sentence. As U.S. Attorney, I am committed to keeping them off the streets of the Eastern District of Texas." Operation Texas Kill Switch relies on partnerships with state and local law enforcement as well as rewards offered by Crime Stoppers.

Bonds faces up to ten years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Corrigan Police Department and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman.

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