Jakeem Butler, a 25-year-old Texarkana resident, was sentenced on July 20 to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a machinegun, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Court records show that Butler was stopped for a traffic violation in Texarkana on December 31, 2024. Officers detected the odor of marijuana during the stop and searched the vehicle, where they found a firearm equipped with an illegal machinegun conversion device known as a Glock-switch. These devices can convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns by attaching to the rear of the slide. Federal law defines a machinegun as any weapon that can automatically fire more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger.
The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III in the Eastern District of Texas. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texarkana Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Richards.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), described as “the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe,” played a role in this prosecution as part of Operation Take Back America.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas works as part of the United States Department of Justice, employs about 100 staff members including roughly 50 assistant U.S. attorneys, covers 43 counties in East Texas, prosecutes federal crimes, delivers civil litigation services, supports victims through dedicated services, and maintains offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler, according to the official website.