A Cincinnati man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for possessing a machinegun, following an incident last year in Covington, Kentucky.
Deshawn Parker, 30, received his sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Thursday. The conviction stems from a September 21, 2024 traffic stop by law enforcement officers who detected the smell of marijuana coming from Parker’s vehicle. When officers asked Parker to exit the car as part of a drug investigation, he refused and attempted to drive away. Officers were able to remove him from the vehicle and found a small amount of marijuana and spent shell casings inside.
A loaded pistol was also discovered under the driver’s seat. The firearm was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, commonly called a “switch” or “Glock switch,” which enables it to fire automatically.
Federal sentencing guidelines require Parker to serve at least 85 percent of his prison term before being eligible for release. After completing his sentence, he will be subject to three years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti of the Covington Police Department announced the conviction together.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Covington Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke prosecuted the case.
Officials noted that this prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that coordinates law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence nationwide. The Department of Justice strengthened PSN in May 2021 with strategies focused on community trust, support for prevention organizations, targeted enforcement priorities, and tracking results.
