Averyoun Quentez Lane, Unlawfully Transferring a Machine Gun, Missouri 2024

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – An 18-year-old Sikeston resident is facing a potential decade-plus prison sentence after admitting to peddling a machine gun and a slew of other firearms, including a handgun pilfered in a recent burglary. Averyoun Quentez Lane, 18, confessed in U.S. District Court to illegally transferring the fully automatic weapon and running an unlicensed firearms operation.

The ATF began their investigation after an undercover agent successfully purchased two Glock pistols from Lane on July 3, 2023. One of those pistols was rigged with an illegal “switch” – a conversion device that transforms a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun. Federal law explicitly defines such devices as machine guns, regardless of the original firearm. Lane didn’t just sell the weapon; he reportedly demonstrated how the switch worked to the agent, flaunting his knowledge of the illegal modification.

Lane’s illicit activity didn’t stop there. Just eight days later, on July 11, 2023, he offered the same agent a semi-automatic pistol and a .38-caliber revolver that had been reported stolen the previous day in Sikeston. While the agent didn’t purchase the stolen revolver before it was flagged, Lane did manage to sell an AR-15-style weapon to the agent on the same day. The ATF’s investigation revealed a pattern: Lane routinely acquired and sold firearms without holding the required federal license.

Federal authorities apprehended Lane on an unrelated matter on July 13, 2023, but the firearms investigation quickly took center stage. During questioning, Lane admitted to regularly dealing firearms, operating outside the bounds of the law. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawfully transferring a machine gun and one felony count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms.

Lane is scheduled to appear for sentencing on May 16. The charge of unlawfully transferring a machine gun carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The firearms dealing charge could add another five years and the same hefty fine. The case was investigated by the ATF’s Kansas City Field Division and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case, aiming to put Lane behind bars for a significant stretch of time. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing. This case serves as a grim reminder of the continued flow of illegal weapons onto the streets and the dangers posed by unlicensed firearms dealers.

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