Florida man pleads guilty in federal court to illegal possession of machine gun

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A 21-year-old Tallahassee man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a machine gun after investigators said they found a converted handgun and a second conversion device during a search of his home.

Omarion Laparis Rashad, 21, of Tallahassee, Florida, entered the guilty plea to illegal possession of a machinegun, according to an announcement from John P. Heekin, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Heekin said, “The Homeland Security Task Force is investing in the safety of our neighborhoods with its whole-of-government approach to rooting out the criminal influence of cartels, trafficking organizations, and foreign gangs in our streets, and with this successful prosecution we are seeing those results. I applaud the excellent investigative work by the Tallahassee Police Department, in close collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, and I look forward to many more successful prosecutions as we continue the fight to make our communities safe for the citizens of the Northern District of Florida.”

According to court documents, the Tallahassee Police Department executed a search warrant at Rashad’s residence on Nov. 25, 2025. Officers reported finding marijuana, synthetic cathinone and ammunition, along with a Glock .40-caliber pistol that had been converted to fire as a machinegun. Investigators also found a second machinegun conversion device in a commercial marijuana bag.

Rashad faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine.

The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. McCain.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee before U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker.

The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative is described as a whole-of-government partnership focused on eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad, with an emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.