United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown has announced the sentencing of Pharaon L. Jackson, a 21-year-old from Shreveport, Louisiana, for illegal possession of a machine gun. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote sentenced Jackson to 40 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The incident began on June 21, 2023, when troopers with the Louisiana State Police stopped a vehicle for speeding in Ouachita Parish. Jackson was a passenger in the vehicle and was observed discarding items from the window as the trooper approached. The discarded items were identified as a bag of marijuana and a Glock 17 9mm firearm equipped with a conversion device known as a Glock switch, which modified the firearm to operate as a machine gun. Jackson and other occupants were arrested for possessing an automatic weapon but later released on bond.
Further investigation by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed that Jackson had posted a photo on social media five days before the traffic stop holding two handguns, one matching the seized firearm with a Glock switch. In July 2023, Shreveport Police Department officers received complaints about individuals riding in a Dodge Charger while brandishing assault rifles. Officers located the vehicle at a residence where they found Jackson along with others and three loaded AR-15 style pistols under a mattress. Ballistic tests later connected two firearms found at this location to a quadruple homicide that occurred on July 4, 2023.
Jackson pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machine gun on July 18, 2024.
“There is zero tolerance for offenders in this district that possess firearms equipped with Glock switches,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “This individual found himself around modified firearms in two parishes. He is dangerous, a threat to public safety and has received a just sentence. Let this be a lesson and deterrent for others considering installing conversion devices on Glock firearms. Offenders committing such crimes will be prosecuted and we will seek sentences of imprisonment.”
The case was investigated by ATF alongside Louisiana State Police and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William C. Gaskins.