Lawrence Edward Slaughter II, Possessing a Firearm as a Felon and Possessing a Machinegun, Michigan 2024

A federal grand jury in Michigan has indicted Lawrence Edward Slaughter II, 19, of Niles, for possessing a loaded Glock handgun when he was ineligible to possess firearms because of a prior felony conviction.

The indictment also alleges that the handgun had been modified to a fully automatic firearm using a conversion device. A conversion device meets the federal definition of a 'machinegun.'

Gun violence is an epidemic across America and here in Michigan that inflicts immense trauma on communities, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. The prevalence of machinegun conversion devices in the Western District is a particularly troubling trend that my office takes seriously.

The indictment charges Slaughter with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a machinegun. The maximum possible penalty for felon in possession of a firearm is 15 years in prison; the maximum penalty for possession of a machinegun is 10 years.

The case was investigated by the Niles Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in Saint Joseph, Michigan. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney LaToyia Carpenter.

A copy of the indictment is attached.

A 19-year-old Niles man, Lawrence Edward Slaughter II, has been indicted for possessing a loaded firearm as a felon and a machinegun.

Slaughter, 19, of Niles, is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a machinegun.

The indictment alleges that Slaughter had a prior felony conviction and was ineligible to possess firearms.

The maximum possible penalty for felon in possession of a firearm is 15 years in prison; the maximum penalty for possession of a machinegun is 10 years.

The case was announced during a press conference at Niles Police Department with U.S. Attorney Totten, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan Devin Kowalski, Niles Department of Public Safety Director Mike Dawson, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey, and the Michigan State Police.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2023_0905_Lawrence_Slaughter_Indictment