MEMPHIS, TN – Two Memphis men are off the streets and headed to federal prison after being convicted of serious firearms offenses. Daniel Kirtman, 25, and Michael Thomas, 24, received a combined 15 years behind bars for illegally possessing and trafficking weapons, according to court documents unsealed this week.
The case, investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, began in June 2021, focusing on individuals dealing in illegal firearms and the increasingly dangerous practice of converting legal handguns into fully automatic weapons. The investigation quickly zeroed in on Thomas and Kirtman as key players in this illicit trade.
Thomas, it was revealed in court, was peddling “Glock switches” – cheap, easily obtainable devices that turn Glock pistols into machine guns – on at least two separate occasions. Simultaneously, Kirtman, already a convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms, was openly selling a short-barrel rifle. When agents moved in, they seized an AR-style pistol from Thomas and a Glock pistol equipped with a conversion device and an extended magazine from Kirtman. The total haul during the investigation amounted to 10 firearms linked to the pair.
Both men eventually pled guilty to their respective charges. Thomas admitted to possessing a machine gun and a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking on June 29, 2022. Kirtman followed suit on August 26, 2022, confessing to being a felon in possession of a firearm and violating the National Firearms Act by possessing and transferring the short-barrel rifle.
On December 1, 2022, U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla handed down an 84-month (7 years) sentence to Thomas, followed by four years of supervised release. Just a week later, on December 7, 2022, Judge McCalla sentenced Kirtman to 102 months (8.5 years) in prison, also with three years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not include parole.
U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Allen for his work on the case and extended gratitude to the ATF and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit for their continued efforts to stem the flow of illegal firearms onto the streets of Memphis. The sentences serve as a stark warning: those who put dangerous weapons in the hands of criminals will face serious federal consequences.
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