Angel Flores, Machine Gun Conversion Devices Conspiracy, New York 2024

BUFFALO, NY – Angel Flores, 36, of Buffalo, New York, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 18 months for his role in a scheme to illegally acquire machine gun conversion devices. U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced the sentencing today, the culmination of a joint investigation that traced a shipment of dangerous parts across international borders and directly to Flores’ doorstep.

The case began unfolding on October 27, 2022, when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Memphis International Airport in Tennessee flagged a suspicious parcel originating from China. Hidden amongst innocuous black plastic drawstring clips were components designed to convert legal firearms into fully automatic machine guns – known as Machine Gun Conversion Devices (MCDs). The package was addressed to a residence on Sweet Avenue in Buffalo, raising immediate red flags.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) took over, seizing the parcel and launching a probe that quickly zeroed in on Angel Flores as the intended recipient. On November 9, 2022, an HSI investigator delivered a decoy package – emptied of the MCDs – to the Sweet Avenue address. Flores didn’t hesitate. Surveillance footage showed him retrieving the package and carrying it inside, only to be immediately taken into custody by authorities waiting nearby.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis A. Testani, who prosecuted the case, presented evidence proving Flores knowingly conspired to deal in firearms without a license. The investigation revealed a clear intent to illegally modify weapons, bypassing federal regulations designed to keep dangerous firepower off the streets. Flores’ conviction serves as a stark warning to those attempting to circumvent the law and traffic in illegal weapons parts.

The successful prosecution was a collaborative effort, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), led by Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, working alongside CBP, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy, and HSI, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino. The agencies combined resources and expertise to dismantle the conspiracy and bring Flores to justice.

Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. handed down the 18-month sentence, acknowledging the seriousness of the crime and the potential danger posed by illegally modified weapons. Flores will now have time to consider his actions behind bars, while law enforcement continues to crack down on the flow of illegal firearms and the individuals who profit from them.

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