A Rockford man is suspected of selling machine gun conversion devices and 3D-printed weapon parts from his home. He was apprehended after Homeland Security authorities at O’Hare intercepted two “switch” devices he had ordered.
The Illinois State Police reported that on February 23, officers from the State Line Area Narcotics Team were contacted by the US Department of Homeland Security, who informed them that a package containing two of the illegal devices, which convert a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun, had been intercepted.
The package was addressed to a home in Rockford’s 3900 block of Elva Lane, but it was marked for collection at a Machensey Park CVS Pharmacy.
On February 25, agents arranged for a controlled delivery of the box, which Tristan Williams, 18, picked up under monitoring. Williams was detained after a subsequent traffic stop.
Investigators forensically searched Williams’ phone and uncovered frequent searches for weapons, images of him holding many firearms, and text exchanges “involving people asking/ordering 3-D printed ‘buttons,'” a colloquial word for machine gun switches, according to police.
On March 11, police, ATF agents, and ISP SWAT conducted a raid on Williams’ home.
Authorities reported finding a 3D printer, plastic pistol parts, and a gold gun part in the home’s bedroom and basement.
Williams has been charged with multiple charges of unauthorized use of weapons and possessing a firearm without a Firearm Owners’ Identification card.
Earlier this month, a similar inquiry resulted in the arrest of Gerardo Zamora, 19, who was also accused of ordering “switch” devices by mail. As with Williams’ case, Homeland Security authorities intercepted the box at O’Hare, resulting in Zamora’s arrest on March 4.
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