A St. Clair Shores resident, Chase Farmer, was convicted by a federal jury for illegally importing, possessing, and transferring machineguns and failing to maintain proper records as a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). The announcement came from United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., in collaboration with ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir.
Farmer, 26, faced trial before United States District Judge Gershwin Drain. Evidence revealed that in 2020 he obtained a license to deal firearms under the business name Shall Not Be Infringed LLC but lacked authorization to import them. Between 2020 and 2021, Farmer placed four orders on the now-defunct Russian website Silencer Sales for machinegun conversion devices like Glock switches and drop-in auto sears. He used Rubles for payment and an alias to avoid detection. Despite purchasing around 30 conversion devices, only two were found during an ATF search of his home and business in 2022.
U.S. Attorney Gorgon commented on the case stating: "Machinegun conversion devices gravely endanger our community by turning semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns." He added that Farmer "flagrantly ignored his responsibility to follow the law" by distributing these devices.
ATF Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir remarked on Farmer's actions: “This wasn’t negligence – it was pure greed at its core.” He described Farmer's activities as "nefariously acquire and distribute illegal conversion devices," emphasizing the risk posed to public safety.
Farmer is scheduled for sentencing by Judge Drain in summer 2025 and could face up to ten years in prison. The case was investigated by the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Princ and Sarah Alsaden.