A Fort Worth man was convicted on Wednesday, June 29, of a federal firearm crime. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham, announced that Judge O’Connor found Keidric Brown, 25, guilty of possessing a machine gun after proceeding pro se in a bench trial. Pro se, a Latin phrase meaning “for oneself or on one’s own behalf,” is when a defendant chooses to proceed to trial without legal counsel.
An Arlington Police Department Officer stopped Brown’s vehicle on January 17 after discovering the defendant’s insurance had expired, according to prosecutors. During the stop, an officer noted the smell of marijuana coming out of Brown’s car and promptly initiated a probable cause search on the vehicle.
The officer testified that she found a Glock 9mm pistol with a 31-round, high-capacity, extended magazine and a red plastic switch attached to the backend of the weapon’s slide. A Firearms Enforcement Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives later examined and test-fired the Glock pistol with the switch attached. The officer concluded that the weapon was modified as a machine gun capable of firing in a fully-automatic fashion.
Prosecutors also presented rap videos Brown had uploaded to YouTube that included the lyrics, “My Glock, it came with a switch /I aim, I don’t miss.” A search warrant for Brown’s phone revealed text messages and lyrics referencing the defendant’s purchase and use of Glock Switches.
Brown is now facing up to 10 years in federal prison following his guilty verdict. A date for the defendant’s sentencing hearing has not been announced.
“I cannot stress enough how dangerous machine gun conversion devices are and the levels at which they are being used in our communities,” said Dallas Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II. “Due to the diligent work of our law enforcement partners, specifically the Arlington Police Department, Mr. Brown will now have several years to think about his attempt to brazenly carry a machine gun around [on] our streets.”
Under federal law, Glock Switches, also known as machine gun conversion devices, are classified as machine guns. Machine guns, unlike semi-automatic firearms, can fire more than one round by a single trigger function without manual reloading. Possession of machine guns is generally unlawful for non-licensed civilians under the National Firearms Act.
The Arlington Police Department’s Violent Crime Unit and the ATF’s Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Levi Thomas and Frank Gatto prosecuted the case with U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor presiding over the trial.