Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing a Handgun Equipped With a Machinegun Conversion Device
An Oklahoma City man has been sentenced to serve 37 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma announced.
According to public records, on April 1, 2026, Oklahoma City police officers were searching for Catrayvion Shamear Dean Houston, 19, because he had an outstanding felony warrant. Officers located him in a parked vehicle at a fast-food restaurant and ordered him to exit; he fled on foot before being subdued. Law enforcement recovered from his pants a handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), commonly known as a 'switch.' When installed, MCDs convert semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns, and possession of the devices violates federal law. A search of his cell phone revealed videos of him firing the handgun with the MCD attached, along with other pictures depicting him possessing this firearm and others.
Houston was charged by information on April 20, 2026, with unlawful possession of a machinegun and pleaded guilty on May 11, 2026, admitting he knowingly possessed a handgun modified by an MCD. At a sentencing hearing on October 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced him to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, noting the nature and circumstances of the offense and Houston's history and characteristics.
The case was investigated by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the FBI's Oklahoma City Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Walters. It is part of 'Project Switch Off,' the Western District of Oklahoma's effort targeting illegal machinegun conversion devices.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Oklahoma City 的 William J. Holloway Jr. 联邦法院入口，本案在此判刑。照片：G. Edward Johnson，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / The entrance of the William J. Holloway Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Oklahoma City, where the sentence was imposed. Photo: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
