Reagan T. Fondren Acting United States Attorney for the Western District Of Tennessee | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
A Memphis man, Kalen Thompson, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possessing a machine gun. The sentence was announced by Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
Court documents revealed that on September 15, 2023, detectives from the Memphis Police Department visited a location in search of a robbery suspect. They found Thompson under a carport with a 9mm Glock pistol equipped with a conversion device, making it fully automatic. It was determined that Thompson had stolen the firearm in January 2023 and later added the conversion device.
In February 2025, Thompson admitted guilt to unlawful possession of a machine gun. Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced him on May 22, 2025, to serve three years and four months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. This program emphasizes building trust within communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.
The investigation was conducted by the Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Musselwhite prosecuted the case for the government.
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