Federal Indictment Charges Chicago Man With Illegally Possessing “Switch” Devices Capable of Turning Handguns Into Machine Guns

 CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been indicted on federal firearm charges for allegedly illegally transferring and possessing “switch” devices that are capable of converting a semi-automatic pistol into a machine gun.

KALIL WARNER, 24, is charged with five counts of illegal transfer and possession of a machine gun.  The indictment accuses Warner of transferring and possessing the switch devices in Chicago on five occasions earlier this year.  Each switch component is solely and exclusively designed to convert weapons into machine guns, the indictment states.  Switch devices, once properly installed, allow a handgun to expel more than one projectile by a single pull of the trigger.

Warner pleaded not guilty Monday during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman scheduled a status hearing for June 15, 2021, at 10:30 a.m.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen deTineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Berry III.

Holding illegal firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the Guardian and PSN programs to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

“Switch devices pose a dangerous threat to public safety and have no place on the streets of Chicago,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “Federal law enforcement will act swiftly to neutralize the threat posed by illegal machine guns and keep our communities safe.”

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Each count in the indictment is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.