Manchester Man Charged With Smuggling Machine Gun Conversion Devices From China, Pleads Not Guilty in Hartford Federal Court
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced on October 23 that David Williams Jr., 23, of Manchester, also known as “Lavish David,” appeared in federal court in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with importing and trafficking machine gun conversion devices from China. He was released on a $100,000 bond pending trial.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 16, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport examined a package en route from China to “Lavish David” at an address in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and found a machine gun conversion device concealed within portable camping stove components. Such devices, commonly called “Glock switches,” can allow certain firearms to fire fully automatically. The Justice Department said that on July 10, 2024, CBP officers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport examined another package en route from China to the same Bloomfield address and found multiple conversion device components concealed in the same type of stove components. On July 21, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a controlled delivery of the two packages to the Bloomfield address and confirmed that Williams had ordered the items.
Prosecutors further allege that a court-authorized search of Williams's Apple account revealed photos, videos, and messages involving the possession of firearms and trafficking of machine gun conversion devices. Williams was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on October 2, 2026. On October 14, 2026, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging him with firearms trafficking conspiracy, which carries a maximum of 15 years in prison; unlawful possession of a machinegun, a maximum of 10 years; possession of an unregistered machinegun, a maximum of 10 years; and smuggling goods into the United States, a maximum of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that Williams is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with assistance from the Manchester Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 康涅狄格州首府 Hartford 市中心天际线，Williams 在该市联邦法院出庭（资料图）。图片来源：Wobbanight / Wikimedia Commons，CC0
