CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – Lamad Cross, 24, of Kennett, Missouri, is headed to federal prison for 66 months after admitting to peddling seven devices that transformed AR-15-style rifles into fully automatic machine guns. U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. handed down the sentence Thursday, ordering it to run consecutively with any time Cross receives for violating his probation in a separate Dunklin County case – a prior conviction for resisting arrest by fleeing.
The case, spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), revealed a brazen operation where Cross, a convicted felon legally barred from owning firearms, used a straw purchaser to acquire a Glock pistol fitted with a “switch” – a device that allows the weapon to fire automatically. The ATF’s Kansas City Field Division quickly zeroed in on Cross, utilizing a confidential informant to infiltrate his network.
The informant initially inquired about purchasing a Glock switch via social media, but Cross upped the ante, offering a “drop-in auto sear” – a device that converts AR-15 rifles into illegal automatic weapons. On September 19, 2022, Cross’s girlfriend delivered the first auto sear for $800. Cross wasn’t just making a quick buck; he boasted about providing instructional videos and offering discounted rates for bulk buys, demonstrating a clear intent to expand his illicit operation.
The scheme continued on September 27, 2022, when Cross sold three more auto sears for $650 each to the informant in Cape Girardeau. He even voiced plans to obtain AR-15 rifles, install the auto sears, and then sell fully automatic weapons, escalating the danger. On October 12, 2022, three more devices were exchanged for $1,900, delivered by a different woman acting as a courier to an undercover ATF agent. Cross claimed to have sold two more devices to an unknown individual, a claim investigators haven’t confirmed.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the use of these devices on firearms in our area,” stated U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “They are incredibly dangerous, and anyone contemplating their purchase or use needs to know that we will vigorously prosecute these cases.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis emphasized in a sentencing memo that even the recovered devices posed a “tremendous risk to the public.” ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen added, “The possession and use of machine gun conversion devices is an emerging threat…This investigation and today’s sentencing send a very clear message that the use of these devices will not be tolerated.”
Cross pleaded guilty in January to one felony charge of unlawful transfer of a machine gun in U.S. District Court. The sentencing comes after a January 5th press conference in St. Louis where local and federal officials warned about the growing prevalence of Glock switches and auto sears, highlighting their inherent danger and difficulty to control. The ATF continues to investigate potential associates and the origin of the conversion devices.
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