U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown | U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Pharaon L. Jackson, a 21-year-old resident of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a machine gun. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote and will be followed by three years of supervised release.
The case originated on June 21, 2023, when Louisiana State Police troopers stopped a vehicle for speeding in Ouachita Parish. Jackson was a passenger in the vehicle and was observed throwing items out of the window as officers approached. The discarded items were identified as a bag of marijuana and a Glock 17 9mm firearm equipped with a conversion device, commonly known as a Glock switch, which modified the weapon to function 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 an image on social media five days before his arrest showing him holding two handguns—one fitted with a Glock switch identical to the seized firearm. In July 2023, Shreveport Police Department officers received reports of several males brandishing assault rifles while riding in a Dodge Charger wearing ski masks. The police located the vehicle at a residence where they found Jackson among four males present and discovered three loaded AR-15 style pistols hidden under a mattress. Ballistic tests linked two firearms found at this location to a quadruple homicide in Shreveport on July 4, 2023.
Jackson entered a guilty plea to the federal charge 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." Brown emphasized that those committing such crimes would face prosecution and potential imprisonment.
The investigation involved cooperation between the ATF, Louisiana State Police, and Shreveport Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney William C. Gaskins prosecuting the case.
