Timothy Lawrence Carll, Unlawful Machine Gun Possession, Virginia 2024

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Timothy Lawrence Carll, 67, of Fairfax, Virginia, has confessed to hoarding a dangerous collection of fully automatic machine guns, according to federal prosecutors. Carll pleaded guilty today to one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun, a charge that carries a hefty potential sentence.

Federal investigators uncovered that Carll wasn’t just holding onto a single illegal weapon; he possessed a full quartet of machine guns. The arsenal included a classic AK-style rifle, a notorious Thompson M1 submachine gun, a British Sterling submachine gun, and a Soviet-era PPSh-41 submachine gun. As if that wasn’t enough, authorities also found four metal tubes specifically designed to convert ordinary firearms into machine guns – components intended for building Sten submachine guns.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division spearheaded the investigation, revealing that Carll operated outside the law. Crucially, he lacked both a valid Federal Firearms License and a Special Occupational Tax stamp – the legal requirements for owning such weaponry. The implications are clear: this wasn’t a lawful collection, but a deliberate violation of federal gun laws.

U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, announced the guilty plea after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted it. “This case underscores our commitment to keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who would break the law,” a source within the U.S. Attorney’s office stated on background. “The illegal possession of machine guns poses a serious threat to public safety.”

Carll is slated to be sentenced on April 19th. While the maximum penalty for unlawful machine gun possession is 10 years behind bars, federal sentencing guidelines and other factors will ultimately determine the final duration of his imprisonment. Sources indicate that actual sentences in similar cases often fall below the statutory maximum.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda St. Cyr is prosecuting the case. Court documents related to the investigation, including case number 1:24-cr-5, are available on the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia website and through the PACER system. The Department of Justice press release can be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia website at www.justice.gov/usao-edva.

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